17.903
COMMUNITY
SERVICE:
Experience
and Reflection
Fall 2001
Tuesdays 3:00 – 4:30 in 38-166
Class
sessions: September 11 November 13
September 25 December
4
October 16 December
11
October 30
Instructors:
Tobie Weiner Jeremy
Pressman
E53-484, 3-3649 E53-386, 8-6424
iguanatw@mit.edu jeremyp@mit.edu
http://web.mit.edu/17.901
Description
of Course
If you've always wanted to work as a volunteer
in the Boston/Cambridge area but didn't know where to begin TAKE THIS
CLASS. In this seminar, students
combine experiential learning with reading, writing and reflection on urban
politics and policy. Work as a
volunteer in a community service agency or an advocacy group and receive MIT
credit. Tutor kids, teens or adults;
cook dinner for guests in a shelter; help design community programs for youth;
conduct research on nutrition, hunger and homelessness policies; volunteer with
the elderly; record books for the blind; teach a dance or art class; or do
something about race relations, poverty, human rights issues, or the
environment. Tell us what you want to
do, and we'll do our best to find a placement for you.
We'll meet seven times for 1 1/2 hours during
the semester to discuss your placement, politics, policy, and other issues. We
examine contemporary urban issues including race, diversity, education reform,
and/or health care policy. Each semester the topics and the readings are
different. Last semester, we concentrated on urban economic issues, domestic
partnership laws, the upcoming national presidential election, and welfare
policy. The students in the class
choose the central issues on which we focus at the orientation session.
Requirements
for the class
1) Participation in a community service agency
or advocacy group of your choice
(verified
by on-site supervisor). Students must
work between 4-9 hours per week throughout
the semester, depending upon units.
(4-6 hours required for 6 units of credit,
7-9
hours required for 9 units of credit)
2) Two letters from supervisor. The first describes your duties and your
schedule (due
October
3) The second evaluates your work. (due
at last seminar session.)
3) Your
evaluation of the seminar and of your
placement (due at last seminar session).
4) Participation in the seven seminar sessions
and a reception dinner. You
should be
prepared
to discuss your placement as well as the assigned readings. Each student is
expected
to read selections from four short reading packets (total pages for the
semester:
80-100).
5) Five writing assignments. (total pages -
approximately 10-15)
A. Three
short response papers to the assigned readings for three of the class sessions (1-2 pages each). These
papers are turned in at the beginning of each of the
sessions.
B. An
evaluation of your experience in your volunteer organization. We’ll ask you
questions to help you explore your impressions of your work and what you have
learned.
C.
A two-three page response to several
questions we will ask you about your community
service organization.
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17.903 Syllabus and Assignments
9/11 Orientation
Session
Description of seminar, requirements
How to find a volunteer placement
Determine topics
Hand out first reading packet
9/25 Discussion
of first reading packet
Discussion of first reading packet - first
response paper due
First supervisor letter due
Hand out questions
Hand out second reading packet
10/16 Discussion
of second reading packet
Second response paper due
10/30 Placement
Discussion
Answers to questions about placement due
Hand
out third reading packet
11/13 One
of the following:
Field
trip, guest speaker, film, discussion of third reading packet
11/20 One
of the following:
Field
trip, guest speaker, film, discussion of third reading packet
12/4 Final
placement discussion and evaluation
12/11 End
of semester dinner
Journal due
Your own evaluation of your
placement due
Second supervisor evaluation due