Service Learning Handouts

WST 3015: Service Learning Project Your final grade will reflect your completion of the following*: Proposal 15 hours minimum contact with community partner Weekly log In-class discussions In class presentation of final product/project of SL experience Actual service learning project/product delivered to community partner

*Note: Completion of 15 service learning hours, while a basic requirement, in no way constitutes credit for the SL portion of your grade. Your grade will be based on your proposal, weekly reflective activities, and final product/project for the SL partner.

ELEMENTS OF THE SERVICE LEARNING PROPOSAL

1. Cover Sheet: (1 page) Title of proposal, name of community partner, names and contacts of group members submitting the proposal, date of submission.

2. Community Partner Profile: (1 page) Name, address, contact(s) of community partner; mission and goals of organization (quoted from their website or literature with citation, if possible); political or social basis for organization; and general needs of organization in order to continue its work.

3. The proposal:

· Define the problem or need that your SL project will specifically address. When defining the problem, consider your audiences: community partner, professor, and peers.

· Propose a plan that addresses the problem or need. This section of the proposal involves persuasive writing. You must persuade your audience that your solution is an effective response to the problem and manageable in the time allotted. Be very specific about what you will do, provide, or complete for the community partner, i.e. what your finished product will be.

· Rationale for Women’s Studies: How does this project relate to our Women’s Studies class and women’s issues in general? Be specific and cite your textbook and other sources as necessary.

· Note: The above portions of the proposal proper should be approximately 500 words (and no more than 750 words).

· Define your action steps for completion. Specify exactly how you will go about doing this project, including initial steps. What things will you need in order to complete this project? What are individual group members’ responsibilities and tasks?

· Create a timeline (Include a schedule of activities and events.)

· Submit the proposal professionally (typed, double spaced, proofread, well-argued and professional presented).

Tips for writing effective proposals are at

http://www.io.com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/props.html

http://members.dca.net/areid/proposal.htm

ELEMENTS OF THE WEEKLY ACTIVISM LOG:

· Begin the week your proposal is approved and you begin working on your project.

· Limit weekly entries to 350 words.

· Divide your weekly log into the three sections (required) below. Stretch

yourself to think about the concepts in connection to your project.

Activism: What happened this week? What kind of contact did you have with your community partner? What were your successes? What were your pitfalls? What do you think should be done next week to help you complete your project?

Reflection: How does the activism you’ve done this week relate to material we have discussed in class? How have the week’s events influenced way you view feminist activism and women’s issues? What do you believe is your community partner’s view of these issues? This is your opportunity to reflect on the impact your activism is making—on you and on the community. .

Reciprocity: Remember that Service Learning is not a one way street. You are not simply giving something to the community partner. Think about what you are getting in return. How might this be defined from a feminist perspective? As much as possible, connect what is happening to your growing academic knowledge in this course. You must use specific texts for every entry including quotes/page numbers and be specific.

While your Weekly Activism Log is a way for you to document and reflect on your activism and progress, it is most definitely not an outlet for aggression. The writing and reflection you do in your log should be constructive, and though you should include problems and setbacks (if there are any) please do so in a productive fashion—this is not an opportunity to rant but rather an opportunity to reflect. Reflection is what transforms experience into learning. Finally, this log is a good resource for developing your final reflection paper due at the end of this course.