Kresge is proud of its unofficial motto, “Creativity, Community, Individuality.” We strive to offer courses that will enhance and deepen our students’ education, and to allow students to try courses outside their majors or GE requirements.
In Kresge’s Service Learning course, students find a volunteer position with the faculty member’s assistance and perform community service in nonprofit organizations, schools, unions, or local government agencies. Students meet weekly, keep a journal, and write reports of their experience.
Motivated students can bridge theory to practice and explore careers in community service-related fields. The course also aims to help foster students’ awareness of social problems and responsibility, both personally and with their classmates.
Service Learning is offered several times during the regular academic year, and is repeatable for credit. This creates an opportunity for students to continue their work within a community placement beyond one quarter.
Courses include:
KRSG 12A (3 units) and 12B (2 units) Service Learning
Students find a volunteer position with the instructor’s assistance and perform community service in non-profit organizations, schools, unions, or local government agencies. Students meet weekly, keep a journal, and write a “social action witnessing” report of their experience.
KRSG 12C Service Learning: Intro to National Service/Grant-Writing
A fast-paced and academically rigorous exercise in four main sections. First and foremost, participants must locate and support a community-service site for three hours each week. Each student’s service commitment requires the student to attend class regularly and share community-service experiences with classmates. Students are introduced to the basic requirements of a variety of national service agencies including AmeriCorp, the Peace Corp, City Year, Teach for America, and City Service. Students are required to do community-service work with a member of one of these agencies locally for four hours during the quarter. The last major section of this course teaches students the basics of grant writing and research.
Students who participate in this programming have higher levels of academic determination and diverse citizenship (openness to others’ ideas and perspectives, and belief that one can make a difference in the world) compared to those who do not participate in this programming. These students also have higher GPAs if they take the class after their first year of college, report more interactions with faculty, more multicultural competencies, and more gains in foundational college competencies (e.g., critical thinking, oral communication, research) compared to those who have not taken these classes.