Introduction

The service learning project in this class will consist of the following:


1. Fifteen hours of community service with an approved organization to be completed throughout the semester.

2. Weekly journal entries. These will be reflective guided essays, roughly equivalent to 1-2 typewritten, double-spaced pages

3. A reflective essay (3-5 pages) at the conclusion of the project

4. A portfolio (optional)

Please understand that, while community service is itself a laudable activity, your actual volunteer hours will not be graded. They must be completed in order to earn a grade for the project, but all points will be earned through reflection and analysis, as described above. If you have selected the service learning option for your final project, your next step is to find an organization for which you can volunteer.

First, congratulate yourself on selecting a great project. This is my fifth semester to offer a service learning option, and I have been very, very pleased with the experience. Students have unanimously voiced similar sentiments. You’re going to learn a lot, and I suspect you’ll find the work very rewarding.

Second, visit MC’s service learning webpage here for a brief overview of the service learning experience.

Third, contact our service learning coordinator, Kris Borcherding, to sign up with an organization. Given the broad scope of social psychology, just about any volunteer work involving other people should suffice. It is best to work with an organization that already has an agreement with our office of student life.

Finally, once you arrange to work with an organization, submit the name of the organization and your point of contact using the assignment drop box. You must begin your volunteer hours by February 12 (at the latest).