The University of Texas at Arlington

Honors Service Learning

HONR 4144 (25 hours of service), HONR 4244 (50 hours of service), HONR 4344 (75 hours of service)

Course Syllabus

(Revised 3/7/08)

Course Instructor

Shirley Theriot, Ph.D.-Director, Center for Community Service Learning

Grading:

Pass/Fail All courses requirements must be completed to receive a Pass grade.

Course Outline

The time you spend on community service activities could be some of the most rewarding time you will commit to a class while at UTA. The following information will help you understand the Honors Service-Learning Opportunities course requirements and should give you a greater appreciation of the benefits of community service. Please read this information carefully!

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Make commitment to active citizenship
• Apply abstract principles to real world interactions
• Demonstrate ability to reframe complex social issues
• Enhance academic understanding of subject matter
• Demonstrate problem solving and critical thinking ability

Instructor Information and Office Hours

Course Instructor: Shirley Theriot, Ph.D.
Administrative Assistant/Placement Coordinator: Susan Dequeant
Office Location: Center for Community Service Learning
Davis Hall, B13
Phone: 817-272-2124 Fax: 817-272-7626
E-Mail: theriot@uta.edu
Web Page: www.uta.edu/ccsl

Please schedule at least one meeting with the instructor during the first half of the semester. Meetings with the instructor are on an appointment basis. Drop-in appointments are allowed when the instructor is available. Please phone the Center for Community Service Learning (CCSL) to arrange an appointment. The Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Students are also encouraged to communicate with the instructor using E-mail.

Required Readings

There is no text for this course; however, students will be given selected articles and chapters to read and questions to be addressed in their reflection journals and reflection exercises.

Attendance Policy

Students must attend at least one of the initial Orientation Workshops,one of the semester-ending Reflection Workshops and a 30-minute conference with Dr. Theriot during the semester.

Instructor Policies

Students are expected to complete all course requirements, including submitting required forms and papers in a timely fashion; completing the Reflection Exercises; completing the Reflection Journal and attending one of the Reflection Workshops. No late papers will be accepted without PRIOR authorization from the instructor, at least one week in advance of deadline.

Incomplete grades will only be given when 2/3 of the required hours have been completed prior to the end of the semester. Additionally, no student will receive a grade of Incomplete unless they formally request an Incomplete in writing, PRIOR to the last Reflection Workshop. Students should personally discuss this option with the instructor at least two weeks in advance of the end of the semester.

It is the responsibility of each student to personally turn in all required forms and papers. Please do not ask or allow other students or your agency supervisor to turn in paper work required for the course. Additionally, students should be sure to keep copies of all completed forms and papers.

Course requirements and workshop scheduling are subject to change by the instructor in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Course Requirements

Honors Service Learning Opportunities Course Credit

UTA students can earn university credit for volunteer community service learning. These credits can be used as elective units and can help fulfill graduation requirements. Students can sign-up for 1, 2, or 3 units of HONR credit per semester.

• HONR 4144 – 1 unit of credit requires 25 hours of service.
• HONR 4244 – 2 units of credit require 50 hours of service.
• HONR 4344 – 3 units of credit require 75 hours of service.

Note: The 1-hour Orientation Workshop and 1-hour Reflection Workshop will count as part of the hours required for this course. A maximum of 1-hour of orientation and training provided by the agency will count as part of the hours required for this course.

MINIMUM COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All students in Honors Services Learning Opportunities courses are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. In order to receive credit, a student must:

• Fulfill and verify the completion of the appropriate number of service hours listed above.
• Complete three Reflection Exercises.
• Complete a Reflection Journal (two submissions).
• Attend one semester end “Reflection Workshop” to be offered at different times during the last week of school.

Course Deadlines

There are course deadlines, which you must follow in order to receive credit. These deadlines include:

• First Reflection Journal Submission – Wednesday, March 10
• Second Reflection Journal Submission – Wednesday, April 28
• Reflection Exercise #1 – Wednesday, February 4
• Reflection Exercise #2 – Wednesday, March 31
• Reflection Exercise #3 – Friday, May 7

Form Deadlines

• Photo Release Form – Turn in at Orientation Workshop
• Release and Indemnification Agreement-Turn in as soon as service-learning placement site has been approved (by 4th week of semester).
• After receiving instructor approval for your service-learning placement site, submit your completed Honors Service-Learning Placement Confirmation Agreement no later than the end of the fourth week of the semester. If you do not submit an agreement form indicating the agency where you will volunteer, your hours may not be accepted as fulfilling course requirements!
• Turn in your Verification of Community Service Hours, Agency Evaluation of Student and Student Evaluation of Community Service Placement at the Reflection Workshop.

Orientation Workshop Dates-See shedule on Web Page, or call the CCSL for dates and times

These workshops will be conducted in the Center for Community Service Learning – B18 Davis Hall. Remember, attendance at one of these workshops is a course requirement.

Reflection Workshop

As a student in the Honors Service Learning Opportunities course, you are required to attend one Reflection Workshop during the final week of classes. This requirement is just as important as a final in any other class – it is not an option! Each student will have the opportunity to discuss his/her service. A brief discussion regarding the groups’ experiences and final comments by the course instructor will be made.

Reflection Workshop Dates – See schedule on Web page, or call the CCSL for dates and times

Reflection Journal

A Reflection Journal that explores, for each day the student is at the community service site, the relationship between what the student is doing and his/her classroom learning must be submitted in segments throughout the semester. Each student is required to keep a Reflection Journal that you will contribute to each time you serve.Please date each entry and enter the number of hours served. Submit a segment each time you have completed 1/2 of your community service hours. Journals may be submitted electronically to maryr@uta.edu or delivered to the Center for Community Service Learning (B18, Davis Hall).

Reflection Exercises

The Reflection Exercises must be typed or word-processed and may be submitted electronically or delivered to the Center for Community Service Learning (B18, Davis Hall).

1. Reflection Exercise #1-Self Reflection
   Answer the questions.
2. Reflection Exercise #2-“We Don’t Have to Be Saints”
   Read the excerpts from Paul Loeb’s Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Cynical Times; answer the questions.
3. Reflection Exercise #3-“Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America”
   Read the Barbara Ehrenreich essay and answer the questions.

Course Objectives – What You Can Expect To Gain

Community service provides a variety of unique benefits to the students, the community and to the organizations where students volunteer. It is very common that volunteers get much more out of their service experience than they expect. Also, the community gains resources and services that would otherwise be unavailable. It is the objective of this course to help insure that students gain a greater understanding of themselves and their community. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to develop their personal and professional skills and apply academic knowledge to community problem solving through this experientially based course. In terms of career growth, many service activities provide students with the opportunity to explore possible careers, experience the “real-world” of their chosen career field, develop professional skills and contacts, build their resume, and put into practice the information they have learned in academic settings.

Every community service activity or project benefits a specific individual or group. Whether it is building homes for the disadvantaged, serving victims of chronic or terminal illness, tutoring children, addressing a specific environmental need or any other service activity, there is a person or group who ultimately benefits from your time. Without volunteers like you these services would not be provided and the lives of those people receiving the services would not be enriched! In addition, whenever you reach out and help one person, there is a ripple effect that ultimately results in benefits to the entire community.

Finally, the organizations where you conduct your service work also benefit enormously. Nonprofit agencies and government programs have suffered many budgetary cutbacks, yet client needs have continuted to expand. Volunteers can make significant contributions to these agencies in their attempt to deal with the complex and growing needs of society.

Finding a Community Service Learning Placement

We strongly encourage you to select a service assignment that will provide you with the best experience possible. For example, you may want to choose an agency that offers you service work related to your major and/or your future career. Don’t be afraid to “shop around” for the best service opportunities. However, you should be sure to arrange your service experience in the first few weeks of the semester. Agencies may have waiting lists for volunteers, lengthy screening requirements, applications and it simply takes many days just to reach the correct person in an agency. Start contacting agencies you are interested in right away!

The CCSL maintains several directories that can assist you in finding the right service experience. To assist you in finding a service experience related to your major/career field, we have developed a computerized database, which lists known volunteer opportunities associated with many of the academic majors available at UTA. All of these resources can be found in Davis Hall, B18. Finally, you should visit the Center for Community Service Learning Web Page at http://www.uta.edu/ccsl.

Remember that there are literally hundreds of different volunteer service opportunities available to you. There are major related opportunities available in fields as diverse as Health Science, Social Work, Biology, Nursing, Business, Education, and many more. From Anthropology to Zoology, we have service opportunities that meet your career interests. There are even a number of unique and rewarding opportunities for service right here on campus. Of course, you also have the option of contacting agencies that are not listed in the above resources to develop your own service assignment.

Please note that there are a few types of service activities that are not eligible for Honors Service Learning Opportunities course credit. While we do not discourage students from being involved in these types of activities, you may not use these types of service work to earn course credit. These types of service include, but are not limited to:

• Paid work of any kind;
• Volunteer work for a private, for-profit company;
• Work for any private individual or family not directly associated with a nonprofit agency;
• Paid or volunteer work for a political candidate or campaign. (You may work for an elected official but cannot work on any type of campaign or election effort.)

Also, you may not count hours for this course that you have volunteered prior to signing up for HONR 4144, 4244, 4344.

Americans With Disabilities Act

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112—The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act – (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide “reasonable accommodation” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. The Office for Students with Disabilities is located on the Lower Level of the University Center (817-272-3364).