Service Learning and Community Engagement
If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time; but if you are here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.
What is service learning?
Service learning is the process by which students engage in community based projects while simultaneously being challenged in the classroom in an effort to prepare them to be agents of social change during their academic training and afterwards. College graduation increase by 22% among students involved in community service to fulfill class requirements (Center for Info. & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement). It is a two way street between service and learning with the desired goal of changing the way students interact with their communities of choice.
What is the difference between service learning and an internship?
- Internships - focus on professional development and self-improvement
- Service learning - focus on engaging with the community to learn and support their needs
Community Focus:
Regardless of how students personally define ‘community’, whether on campus, in East Lansing, your religious group, or beyond- we are here to help. The College of Social Science prioritizes placing students in the best possible position to build capacity and have a lasting impact for their community of choice.
College of Social Science opportunities to engage in service learning:
- SSC 199: Encounter, Engage, Explore
- SSC 399: Community Engagement for Social Change, Advocating for Vulnerable Populations
For more information, contact:
Cathy M. White, M.S.
Academic Specialist - Advisor
gamperca@msu.edu
Phone: 517-353-9291
Emily L. Weiner, M.A.
Academic Specialist - Advisor
weinerem@msu.edu
Phone: 517-353-0780
Office for Experiential Learning
College of Social Science
Phone: 517-432-4541