Service learning is a teaching method used in many Saint Louis University courses that integrates service to others into the curriculum.
By engaging in service experiences, students gain wisdom and knowledge from the community partner, who acts as a co-educator. The partner, in turn, benefits from the work provided, making it a reciprocal relationship. The students learn to apply concepts from the classroom to this experience, and by reflecting on their service, enhance the academic curriculum.
Below are some samples of syllabi of professors who have included a service learning component in their classes. If you would like to have your syllabus posted, please send it to Leah Sweetman at sweetman@slu.edu.
This general outline will give you the basic steps needed for a successful service learning project in your course.
For additional resources, please contact Leah Sweetman in the Center for Social Action at 314-977-4214 or leah.sweetman@slu.edu.
American Association of Colleges and Universities
The American Association of Colleges and Universities seeks to prepare students to become effective global and local citizens as they venture into an unequal but interdependent and diverse world. The association works with campuses to develop programs that help faculty and students connect scholarship to public questions. AAC&U's website provides several resources and detailed descriptions of its projects, including the Diversity Initiative, in which service-learning and campus-community partnerships play an important role, and the Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement, a joint initiative with Campus Compact.
American Association of Community Colleges
The website for the American Association of Community College's service-learning project includes links to model programs at various community college campuses, general information about federal initiatives such as America Reads, and practical information about applying service-learning in the community college curriculum. The site also includes a listing of workshops and events and links to service-learning organizations.
Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a national coalition dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education. This comprehensive site includes resources for service-learning practitioners, including faculty, presidents, administrators, and students. It includes model programs, sample syllabi, a calendar of events, extensive links to web resources, news, information on grants and fellowships, legislation, and much more.
Community-Campus Partnerships for HealthCommunity-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions, using service-learning, community-based research, community service, and other partnership strategies. This site contains a variety of resources, including syllabi and assessment tools.
Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning
The Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning is a peer-reviewed academic journal containing papers written by faculty and service-learning educators on research, theory, pedagogy, and issues pertinent to the service-learning community. The site contains abstracts of MJCSL articles and information on subscribing and submitting manuscripts.
University of Southern California (Service Learning Theory and Practice)
This site has a number of resources for designing a service-learning syllabus, recruiting and placing students in service-learning sites, developing reflection and evaluation tools, and much more.
Center for Global Citizenship, Suite 134
3672 West Pine Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-977-4105
service@slu.edu
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday-Friday