Undergraduate Service Learning Courses
We've compiled the below list of service-learning course offerings for undergraduate students based on classes offered in past semesters. Please check Wolverine Access to verify the availability of any particular course for this semester. Email us with any updates or additions.
- American Culture
- Anthropology, Cultural
- Art & Design
- Afroamerican and African Studies
- Economics
- Education
- Environmental Health Sciences
- English Language Institute
- English
- Program in the Environment
- Honors Program
- Natural Resources and Environment
- Nursing
- Psychology
- RC Core Courses
- RC Social Sciences
- Screen Arts and Cultures
- Sociology
- University Courses
- Urban Planning
- Women's Studies
AMCULT 213: Introduction to Latino Studies- Humanities
4 Credits
Latino Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Puerto Rican, Chicano, Cubano, Caribbean, Central American, and Latin American communities in the U.S. Latina/o Studies deploys the disciplines of History, Literary Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Media Studies, Law, and a host of others in its exploration of the lives and histories of these communities. Latina/o Studies offers a rubric for understanding not only the interconnections between these diverse communities but also the differences that sometimes divide them. This course will introduce students to the many practices of Latina/o Studies, by giving them the opportunity to meet and learn more about scholars engaged in this field of study. The class will consist of a series of lectures/projects designed in conjunction with scholars, activists and cultural practitioners working in different areas of Latino Studies at the University of Michigan and beyond. Over the course of the semester, students will complete a series of assignments that contribute to a final project due at the end of the term. Students have a number of options for their final project: they can work collaboratively on a web-based project, work in small groups on an activism project, or volunteer with a community service organization and write a reflection paper.
Maria E. Cotera
AMCULT 301: Topics in American Culture
Section 002: Detroit Politics and Community Organizing
3 Credits
Digging below the surface of popular discourse and disagreement, this course seeks to get at the roots of urban social, political and economic issues. It offers students an opportunity to gain an in-depth perspective on racism, poverty, political activism, and community organizing among diverse groups. First, we will study what historian Thomas Sugrue has called the "origins of the urban crisis." The class will examine the effects of deindustrialization and racism in the post-World War II era alongside the emergence of protest movements which sought to promote social justice. Second, the class will study the divergent ways that city and suburban politicians and residents interpret the "urban crisis," and we will critically analyze their response Third, the class will probe the history of radicalism in Detroit and investigate the grassroots solutions to the "crisis" being enacted by community organizations. Highly-motivated students may be offered opportunities to fulfill course requirements through community service-learning activities.
Scott T Kurashige
AMCULT 305: Asian Pacific American Community Service and Learning
Section 001: Detroit Asian Youth Project / Paaralang Pilipino School
3 Credits
This course examines strategies for building Asian Pacific American communities and developing leadership skills through community service learning and practice. Students will have the option to work with either a mentorship program or a local community research project. Students will be responsible for regular attendance in a weekly seminar/meeting as well as participation at the designated community service site (in Detroit, Ann Arbor, or Southfield). Each student is expected to participate in a total of 30 hours of service over the entire semester (i.e, 3 hours per week for 10 weeks). Assignments include readings, reflective journal assignments, and a final project/report. For the first two class sessions, all groups will meet together at the time the class is scheduled; subsequent class sessions/group meetings, and community service times will be determined.
Emily P Lawsin
AMCULT 306/PSYCH 317: Community Research
4 Credits
This course will cover research methodologies useful in understanding communities. These include community needs and asset assessment, analysis of census and other statistical information on communities, evaluation of programs offered by community organizations, and surveys of community residents. Through readings, lectures, and discussion, the class will consider what is involved in each of these methods and when each is appropriate. Students will use one of these methodologies to carry out a research project in collaboration with a community organization in Detroit. Results from this project will be communicated through a paper and poster session. Requirements include readings, lectures, a community profile, and a write-up of the research project.
Concurrent enrollment in PSYCH 318/AMCULT 307 and one of the following: PSYCH 111, 112, 114, or 115.
Lorraine M Gutierrez
AMCULT 319/PSYCH 319, Section 001: Empowering Families and Communities
4 Credits
The goal of this course is to teach students the process of family and community empowerment with didactic and experiential coursework as well as practical community fieldwork. Students will meet as a class, one day a week. Students will choose a Detroit area field placement. The class is structured as follows: the first half of the class period will be devoted to class discussion of specific topics augmented by readings, experiential exercises, guest speakers, and videos; the second half of the class period will be devoted to discussions related to fieldwork. Students will be expected to discuss issues specific to their placement and to incorporate ideas from didactic materials with their field experiences.
Lorraine M Gutierrez
AMCULT 321/PSYCH 325: Practicum in the Multicultural Community
Section 101
3 Credits
This course is an experiential field course involving two visits per week to an African-American, Arab-American or Latino community in Detroit. Students will be assigned to work with community-based organizations on projects to improve the well being of children and families. Projects involve such activities as tutoring, developing outreach activities, assisting in child care settings, and working in community education projects. Internships will be supervised by the instructor and program staff. Transportation will be provided. Students will also attend a seminar meeting once a week to integrate theory with practice. That seminar time will be arranged at a time convenient to the students and the instructor.
Section 001: Essential risk and protective themes of at-risk youth in the local Washtenaw County communities
3 Credits
Course is designed to introduce students to essential risk and protective themes of at-risk youth in the local Washtenaw County communities. Students will learn about risk and protective factors in neighborhood contexts, and the impact of social injustices (e.g., racism and discrimination), culture, attitudes and beliefs that negatively impact the social mobility of at-risk youth. Through readings, interviews with indigenous leaders (e.g., former professional athletes), guest lectures and on-site learning opportunities, students will develop an understanding of how leadership emerges, and ways in which communities are designed and function as part of a broader system of care for at-risk youth. Students will develop an understanding of how to assess, engage in and actively participate in community-based programs serving youth. This course is designed for junior and senior-level students in Psychology and other social sciences. A laboratory component of this course involves one visit or hosting per week with an at-risk youth serving organization in Washtenaw County. Students are assigned to work with community-based organizations on projects to improve the well-being of youth in their community. Projects include activities such as hosting youth on campus, developing community out-reach activities, working on community education projects and/or tutoring. Students will also conduct an extensive interview with an indigenous leader who has demonstrated a commitment to serving at-risk youth either through employment or as a volunteer. These direct practice experiences with at-risk youth and indigenous leaders provides greater understanding and application of course concepts, more in-depth learning, and for writing an integrative paper.
With permission of instructor.
Section 201
3 Credits
This course is an experiential field course involving two visits per week to an African-American, Arab-American or Latino community in Detroit. Students will be assigned to work with community-based organizations on projects to improve the well being of children and families. Projects involve such activities as tutoring, developing outreach activities, assisting in child care settings, and working in community education projects. Internships will be supervised by the instructor and program staff. Transportation will be provided. Students will also attend a seminar meeting once a week to integrate theory with practice. That seminar time will be arranged at a time convenient to the students and the instructor.
Advisory Prerequisites: Lorraine M Gutierrez
AMCULT 498: Imagining the Future: Creativity, Culture, and Citizenship
Interdisciplinary Senior Seminar
3 Credits
This seminar is a community service-learning course, with a strong focus in experiential learning. The seminar will focus on knowledge production, cultural work, and social interaction. Students will be able to connect people, places, histories, theories, action, and concrete results, through their participation in communty-based projects. Students will participate in several campus "Year of Citizenship" events and undertake a community-based project. This fall students will collaborate with the Cultural Exchange Network and ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) to plan and execute the Annual Concert of Colors, a celebration of cross-cultural collaborations through world music.
Lab fee for transporation and event costs: $15.00
Julie Ellison
AMCULT 388: Field Study/PSYCH 325: Pract Multicultural, Section 201
3 credits
Field experience in organizations, institutions, and service agencies under such University of Michigan programs as the Washington and New York Internship Program and Project Community. Students must make individual arrangements with these programs.
Lorraine M Gutierrez
ANTHRCUL 445: Cul Anth Mini-Course
Section 001: Community Drama and Health (minicourse)
1-2 credits
In this mini-course, students will combine knowledge gained from readings on theatre for development in Africa with the production and performance of a community drama in a local junior/high school on a topic related to health. This performance will be informed by some of the main issues discussed in the theatre for development literature, e.g., balancing theatre as performance with its role as vehicle for education; community drama as method of communication; performer-audiences relationships and audience participation; and the socioeconomic political contexts of community drama. Course readings will be discussed during the first two weeks of class, while the final four classes will be used to develop and present a drama in a local school, and to assess its performance at the end of the course. Students will be evaluated on the basis of class discussion of readings; participation in the formulation, presentation, and assessment of a community drama; attendance in all class and community school sessions; and a final drama assessment report
ARTDES 310: Art Workshops in Prisons
Fall Section 005 & Winter Section 004
3 credits
The United States is now one of the most incarcerating nations in the world. The prison industry is growing at a rapid rate with increasingly higher percentages of African-American, Hispanic, and Native American men, women and teen-agers serving time. In many states, including Michigan, educational and recreational activities are being eliminated from the prisons. This outreach course gives students the opportunity to work inside a prison, facilitating an art workshop for men, women or adolescents. Readings, films and discussion will provide background and training for working in a prison setting. Students will work in small groups once a week at a local correctional facility or youth facility. The course will meet once a week as a class to share art projects with each other, and to discuss films, reading material and issues that arise in the workshops. During the other three-hour block of class time, small groups will meet for one hour each with the instructor for supervision and discussion.
Janie Paul
ARTDES 310: BODIES IN THE WORLD: Representing Human Rights
Fall Section 005
3 Credits
Students will produce and study activist art projects together and with human rights organizations, including the Michigan Battered Women's Clemency Project, Amnesty International, and others. The class will include visiting artists and speakers. Projects will involve creating a public rally at the Capitol in Lansing, a World AIDS Awareness Day action, and other publicly visible projects. Non-Art students are welcome and all media will be open. Students in American Culture and Women's Studies, as well as students in the School of Art & Design, are encouraged to enroll.
Carol Jacobsen
ARTDES 310: Detroit Connections
Fall Section 003 & Winter Section 006
3 credits
Connecting A&D students with fourth graders at two elementary schools in Detroit through semester long visual and performance art projects, this class is a combination of work with the children and contextual studies that address issues of urban schools and the radical transformation creative projects have on cognitive development. Working intensively in Detroit every Friday, students learn first hand of the city's history and contemporary culture with field visits and projects. Planning for and reflecting on class projects, students develop close ties with the children and produce vibrant art that transforms the physical nature of the schools, and shared experiences across generations and cultures that transform the nature of connected creative work.
Nick Tobier
ARTDES 310: Mental Ecology
Fall Section 004
3 credits
For this course, students will investigate the degree to which art can influence issues of immediate concern to today's society, such as mental health and the environment, urban problems, communicable disease and disaster, through their studies in public health.The collaborative work with the School of Public Health will make it possible to gain a new perspective on the issues of environment and spirit, body and mind. More than restoring the individual to health, public health emphasizes what the community can do to prevent the occurrence of a problem beforehand. Students will learn to treat the issue of the environment and the body inclusively from the perspective of a group society rather than that of an individual member formed by society. They will treat the issue scientifically from a macroperspective, learning how to present projects to society as effectively as possible. During Phase One, students, under the guidance of the committee, will create plans for multiple art projects related to the community and public health based on concrete examples. For their final project, students will create a new environment, using the School of Public Health Building as their testing ground. This new environment will serve to cleanse both body and spirit, while becoming a place for "meditation and mediation" which will foster dialogue on the topic of society. In Phase Two, projects treating art and public health will evolve based on the results of Phase One, with our focus on Detroit's Eastern Market.
Satoru Takahashi
ARTDES 310: Retaining Identity: Exploring the Role of Creative Work in Healthcare
Winter Section 003
3 credits
Collaborating with the University of Michigan Health Care System, this course will explore the potential of art in retaining one's identity during times of illness and disease. Reflecting on the patient experience, students will focus on developing creative work for the healthcare setting. Students will also create work with the Silver Club, which is a day club for elderly with dementia, in an attempt to maintain their sense of identity. The course will also investigate historical and contemporary artists that focus on art and medicine to provide an understanding of the strong connection between these two fields and the emergence of art and healthcare programs.
Anne Mondro
ARTDES 310: Veterans' Video Portrait Project
Fall Section 002
3 credits
This is a collaborative studio course that fosters one-on-one relationships between Art & Design students and veterans with the goal of creating video portraits based on this relationship and/or the life of the American Veteran. Through a variety of activities, readings, and screenings, students will gain an understanding of war service and the return home. Students will also develop a video for the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project, a National Archive which is currently seeking material for its database. The class will culminate in a public reception and screening of the resultant videos.
Heidi Kumao
ARTDES 310: Ways of Seeing
Winter Section 002
3 credits
This course will be taught in collaboration with the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired. In this class students will gain a technical knowledge of ceramics. There will be guest speakers, discussion, and one class each week will be held off campus at the Library to allow students to apply their understanding as they assist clients of the facility to create art works using clay. Students will learn alternate modes of perception and the skills to work with people who have limited visual abilities. The objective of this course is that in working together students and clients will gain confidence and find creative outlet through the sculptural potential of clay.
Sadashi Inuzuka
ARTDES 310: Where the Wild Things Aren't
Fall Section 001
3 credits
In this outreach course we'll work with the Huron Valley Humane Society investigating the issues surrounding animal human relationships as well as the various ways artists and designers have represented these relationships. We'll watch animal assisted therapy and talk to local organizations involved with rescue, feral, and wild animal management. What is the difference between animal rights and animal welfare? What is the new work of dogs? How do these issues relate to broader environmental concerns? This is a multi-media course. The only requirement is compassion for companion animals.
Holly Hughes
CAAS 490: Special Topics in Black World Studies
Section 001: Community Drama and Health
3 credits
In this mini-course, students will combine knowledge gained from readings on theatre for development in Africa with the production and performance of a community drama in a local junior/high school on a topic related to health. This performance will be informed by some of the main issues discussed in the theatre for development literature, e.g., balancing theatre as performance with its role as vehicle for education; community drama as method of communication; performer-audiences relationships and audience participation; and the socioeconomic/political contexts of community drama. Course readings will be discussed during the first two weeks of class, while the final four classes will be used to develop and present a drama in a local school, and to assess its performance at the end of the course. Students will be evaluated on the basis of class discussion of readings; participation in the formulation, presentation, and assessment of a community drama; attendance in all class and community school sessions; and a final drama assessment report. This course meets March 7th-April 11th.
Junior standing Elisha P Renne
ECON 108: Economic Analysis Through Service-Learning
Section 002
This course focuses on benefit-cost analysis through service-learning. The service this semester will be at a local community-based organization where you will serve in capacities that are negotiated with the staff there. The learning will focus on observations as you serve as well as analysis based on your service. Discussion topics in class include incentives, decision-making, and benefits and costs. Econ 108 meets weekly for discussion. Written assignments include keeping a structured journal and a final paper summarizing your observations and analysis. Students in Economics 108 MUST BE concurrently enrolled in Economics 101.
Instructor: Jan Gerson
EDUC 301: Directed Teaching in the Elementary Grades
Develops the special knowledge and competencies required of nursery and elementary school teachers through observation and teaching in elementary school classrooms under the joint supervision of University and public school personnel. Requires a daily uninterrupted block of four to seven hours during the school day. Open only to seniors, special students, and graduate students who have been admitted to the teacher education program.
Prerequisites: 307(6), 391, 392, 401, 403, 406, 411, 421, 431
EDUC 302: Directed Teaching in the Secondary School
Guides observation and teaching in secondary school classrooms, as well as involvement in other roles of the secondary school teacher, under the joint supervision of University and public school personnel. Requires a daily uninterrupted block of four to seven hours during the school day. Open only to seniors, special students, and graduate students who have been admitted to the teacher education program. Draws upon resources found in the directed teaching environment; considers problems and issues in four broad areas: students in the school, the teacher's professional responsibilities, curriculum understandings, and administrative/organizational problems. Open only to students enrolled in 302.
Prerequisites: 307, 391, 392, and appropriate methods course.
EDUC 317: Observation and Participation in Educational Settings.
Provides an opportunity for supervised observations of and participation with children and adolescents in educational settings.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
EDUC 362: Interactive Communications and Simulations
Introduces the use of computer-conference mediated role-playing simulations and related activities featuring a worldwide network of middle schools and high schools as a laboratory. Involves a thorough immersion in one exercise which includes guiding secondary school participants in the exercise. Topics may vary from term to term.
EDUC 390: Community Service and Language, Education, and Culture
This course offers a service learning experience for undergraduates in the multilingual, multicultural context of the migrant population. The course may vary in terms of the content and target population, e.g. the course may focus on literacy issues, critical pedagogy or cultural identity issues within the context of linguistic, educational and cultural needs of minority populations.
EHS 500: Principles of Environmental Health Sciences
2 credits
Basic knowledge and skills requires assessing impacts of environmental health risk factors. Approach based on articulation of an environmental health paradigm that encompasses a diverse range of environmental health problem areas. Illustration by reference to specific examples that address the nature of exposure, dose, response and health outcomes, leading to identification of intervention options.
Seniors with Permission from the Instructor. Walter Piper
EHS 642: Community Nutrition
3 credits
An analysis of community programs with primary attention on goals, objectives, implementation and evaluation. Individual's work on a problem in the area of food assistance or nutrition education programs is carried out under the tutorial guidance of an appropriate staff member. Regular conferences are arranged to measure progress and a report is prepared.
Prerequisites: EHS 630
Anita Sandretto
ELI 390/EDUC 390/LING 386 (all section 001): Community Service and Language, Education, and Culture
3 credits
In this course, students teach or assist in a local ESL classroom or tutoring program for at least four hours per week or 48 hours during the semester. The course will employ an academic service learning framework in preparing for and reflecting on this experiential practice. Students will receive training and supervision in teaching English as a Second Language and discuss issues as they emerge from the practica and readings. Likely themes include lesson planning, task design, individual learner differences, and socio-cultural factors in teaching ESL. In addition, students will meet with the instructor in small groups based on site placement at least once per month. Students who have experience working with English language learners and a background in applied linguistics or second language education are preferred.
With permission of department.
Elizabeth Ruth Axelson & Pamela Susan Hickam Bogart
ENGLISH 310: Discourse and Society
Section 001: The Henry Ford High School Project
3 credits
ENGLISH 310 teaches students to use their creative skills and social commitments to facilitate the powerful expressiveness of high school and incarcerated youth. It is rooted in respect for the youths' abilities and voices, in excitement about an educational process that promotes creativity, and in imaginative collaboration with the school and facility faculty, staff, and administration. Working two to three hours a week at Henry Ford and Cooley High Schools and Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit, and at the Adrian and Maxey Training Schools, Boysville, the Calumet Center, and Vista Maria, students assist youth in creating their own video tapes, plays, photographs, music, writings, art, etc. In two hour class meetings we discuss background reading, analyze and develop our work with the youth, and think out the implications of what we are doing. A further hour is devoted to meetings between each site team and the instructor. No exams.
ENGLISH 124 or 125 and permission of instructor William R. Alexander
ENVIRON 370: Introduction to Urban and Environmental Planning
Section 001 3 credits Cross-listed as UP 423 and ARCH 423
A comprehensive introductory course. Methods and processes in governmental planning and development of human activity systems requiring space, capital, and management components in the metropolitan environment. Major topics include: space and location planning, zoning and subdivision regulations, urban form and design, new town planning, housing urban renewal, transportation, metropolitan intergovernmental relations, comprehensive urban developmental planning, population and economic planning studies, planning techniques and methods. Emphasis is placed on recent developments and emerging problems.
Elsie Harper-Anderson
ENVIRON 482: Environmental Justice: Theoretical Approaches
3 credits
This course examines theoretical approaches that are either currently being used or could be applicable to environmental justice research. Students will study several theories including: race relations theories, power elite theory, social movement theories — relative deprivation, rational choice, political opportunity, resource mobilization, microstructural recruitment, identity theories — and organizational theory. The course provides students interested in environmental justice research, advocacy, policymaking, or community organizing an opportunity to see how the aforementioned theoretical frameworks can help them understand environmental justice cases that arise. The course will help students organize information they glean from observations of community groups contending with environmental justice issues, from reading case studies, or from working in the environmental field. A sound understanding of these theoretical approaches will enhance the student's understanding of how and why communities organize around environmental justice issues, why some people participate and not others, why some communities succeed and not others, why the environmental justice discourse differs from the mainstream environmental discourse, and how movements are maintained. Undergraduate/graduate students interested in environmental justice. Students will write essay questions in their two class exams and a term paper.
Dorceta E Taylor
HONORS 493: College Honors Seminar
Section 005: Community Drama and Health
In this mini-course, students will combine knowledge gained from readings on theatre for development in Africa with the production and performance of a community drama in a local junior/high school on a topic related to health.
Permission of instructor or of the Honors Director
NRE 392: Applications to Environmental Justice
3 credits
The fundamental purpose of this course is to provide an enriching, hands-on experience that teaches the significant role that race and socioeconomic standing play in environmental issues. The student-facilitated class will allow students to discuss and further explore the multi-dimensional nature of environmental justice in a way that differs from traditional lecture-style learning. The course will develop a series of case studies. There will be a variety of guest lectures, discussions, and applicable environmental justice simulations and activities. Each student will also serve as a volunteer in a situation where environmental justice issues exist (required). Through this experience, students will develop their own opinions, explanations, and definitions of environmental racism. The class will be divided into field groups assigned to one site for the semester. There also will be a one-day field trip to Del Ray.
NRE 492: Advocacy Planning
NRE 495 / Environ 495
3 credits
Emphasizes both skill and theoretical development. Provides opportunities to learn about small groups, organizations, power structure research, advocacy planning, coalitions and contemporary social movements. Students are also expected to do field work.
NRE 597: Environmental Education Field Placement
3 credits
Placement of a team of students (3-6) under close supervision of the instructional staff -- into a particular school, community, organization, interpretative center or some other educational institution in order to develop the students instructional techniques and skills.
Permission of Instructor.
NURS 124: Growth and Development
4 credits
Students will gain an understanding of physical, psychological, cognitive, social and moral aspects of growth and development of individuals and families. Normative transitions will be emphasized and non-normative transitions will be introduced . Students will identify environments that support optimal growth and development for individuals and families. Students will participate in a service-learning experience that facilitates their understanding of factors that enhance growth and development for individuals and families.
NURS 354: Infant, Child and Adolescent Health and Illness
8 credits
This nursing care course focuses on infants', children's, and adolescents' health and illness within the context of their families and relevant environments. Students will also examine the impact of, and respond effectively to, the health care system and personnel, including legal, ethical, and advanced informational and monitoring technologies when delivering health and illness care to infants, children, and adolescents.
NURS 356: Health and Illness in Young, Middle and Older Adults
8 credits
This course provides theoretical perspective, evidence-based nursing knowledge, and critical thinking in experiences basic to providing research-based nursing care directed towards promoting, maintaining, and restoring health in or providing end-of-life care for young, middle, and older adults
NURS 422: Community Care Nursing
6 credits
Community Care Nursing --- During this theory and clinical course, students will be guided to think critically about the role and core competencies of community health nursing in promoting health, preventing disease, and restoring health. The nursing process is applied to individuals, families, aggregates, and communities within diverse population and ecological contexts. Emphasis is placed on the synthesis of concepts, theories, knowledge, and practice from nursing and public health sciences to determine the health status, needs, and assets of communities and their members. Students assess physical, social, and cultural environments, identify populations at risk, and implement and evaluate appropriate nursing interventions. During clinical practice they apply the nursing process in delivering community health nursing services in partnership with health agencies and communities.
NURS 456: Community Health Nursing
8 credits
During this theory and clinical course, students will be guided to think critically about the role and core competencies of community health nursing in promoting health, preventing disease, and restoring health. The nursing process is applied to individuals, families, aggregates, and communities within diverse population and ecological contexts. Emphasis is placed on the synthesis of concepts, theories, knowledge, and practice from nursing and public health sciences to determine the health status, needs, and assets of communities, and their members. Students assess physical social, and cultural environments, identity populations at risk, and implement and evaluate appropriate nursing interventions. During clinical practice they apply the nursing process in delivering community health nursing services in partnership with health agencies and communities. Strategies for health care delivery, application of health-related technologies and databases, and multidisciplinary collaboration and emphasized.
PSYCH 211: Project Outreach
Section 001: Working with Preschool Children
3 credits
Students will work with children ages 2-5 in community preschools and daycare centers. These placements offer hands-on experiences with a diverse group of children and the lecture series explores a variety of topics that influence child development. The placement sites vary in terms of the populations they serve, including "at-risk" children, children with specials needs, and children of international families with English as a second language.
PSYCH 211: Project Outreach
Section 002: Big Sibs
3 credits
Students will become involved in a one-on-one friendship with a child in the community age four through fifteen years. You will develop a meaningful individual relationship with a child in need of a role model, mentor, and companion. The program enables you to become involved in the larger Ann Arbor community as you and your little sib participate in free or low cost, educational and fun activities. The corresponding lecture series addresses various issues that impact childhood.
Prior or concurrent enrollment in an introductory Psychology course.
PSYCH 211: Project Outreach
Section 003: Juvenile and Criminal Justice
3 credits
Designed to provide students with experience in and knowledge of the criminal justice system. The field placements match students with juveniles or adults in a number of placement settings in the criminal justice system. The lecture series is intended to expose students to a wide variety of issues relevant to juvenile delinquency and criminality. It is our hope that you will not only learn about the criminal justice system but also have the opportunity to reach out to juveniles and adult offenders and have a positive impact on their lives.
Prior or concurrent enrollment in an introductory Psychology course.
PSYCH 211: Project Outreach
Section 004: Health, Illness, and Society
3 credits
Help patients and families in medical facilities, community health clinics, elderly residential settings and community crisis centers. Opportunities include offering empathy, emotional and practical support, in the context of supervised care, and education. Work with a wide range of populations including children, adults, and the elderly. Learn about a variety of contemporary topics related to the field of health care and health promotion.
Prior or concurrent enrollment in an introductory Psychology course.
PSYCH 305: Practicum in Psychology
Section 002: Practicum in Child Development and Child Care
This course allows students to acquire experience working in a child care setting with preschool age children. Students will be assigned to specific classrooms and work under the direct supervision of the head teacher and director of the Pound House Children's Center. Students are required to keep a weekly journal summarizing their experiences in the child care setting as well as integrating these experiences with literature on children's development. Students will be required to read the Staff Handbook for information on Center policies as well as independent readings on child development. All students must show evidence of a negative TB tine test and have a physical exam from a doctor stating that there is no reason why they cannot work with young children.
One of the following: PSYCH 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, or 290.
Brenda L. Volling
PSYCH 305: Practicum in Psychology
Section 001: Michigan Mentorship Program
This experiential learning course is designed to provide mentoring experiences for students in the Ann Arbor Public Schools who are regarded at risk for low achievement. We will pair college students with elementary and high school students in order to help students with homework, to encourage effective learning strategies, to set goals, and to help them develop appropriate coping strategies. College students who can relate to younger students' concerns are a tremendous resource for their learning and motivation. Conversely, college students can learn a great deal from children and adolescents as they work through issues. The course will provide a personal relationship and useful academic information in order to help grade school students become more successful and more motivated in school. University students will be expected to participate in mentoring a minimum of six hours per week, read related background information, keep a weekly journal, and write a 5-10 page paper.
One of the following: PSYCH 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, or 290.
Ellen J. Quart
PSYCH 305: Practicum in Psychology
Section 010: Alcoholism and Other Behavior Disorders in Community Settings, II
3 credits
This course is the second term of a two-term practicum sequence. The sequence satisfies both lab requirements for students pursuing the Psychology concentration. The Substance Abuse Section (http://www.med.umich.edu/psych/sub/index.htm) and its research arm, the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center (UMARC) provide an opportunity for students to gain research experience in community settings as part of the Center's ongoing program of field research studies. Current projects include; a program for screening substance use problems and depression among pregnant women who come for general health care, which may involved the opportunity to conduct follow-up interviews with these women; a descriptive study of the development of risk for substance abuse and other trouble in Latino and African American families; other developing field research studies being carried out by Center scientists. Projects provide students with the opportunity to obtain research experience in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. A focused, collateral series of weekly seminars allows students to interact with Center scientists carrying out a variety of studies pertaining to the etiology, course, and treatment of substance abuse. Students administer brief questionnaires to persons in primary care offices, in home to families, and also conduct telephone follow-up interviews with participants.
One of the following: PSYCH 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, or 290.
Robert A Zucker & Frederic C Blow
PSYCH 306: Group Leading
3 credits
This course provides students with knowledge and practice in areas related to enhancing the educational experience of undergraduate students involved in community service learning placements in a community setting. Students will learn to supervise and evaluate the placement activities of others, and gain essential skills in facilitating small group discussions which integrate field experiences with theoretical concepts. Students will be evaluated on the basis of a number of written assignments, placement/activity coordination, and the quality of the small group discussions which they facilitate.
PSYCH 211 and one of the following: PSYCH 111, 112, 114, or 115 and permission of instructor Jerome Miller
PSYCH 307: Directed Experiences with Children
Join professional early childhood educators in a classroom with children ages 18 months through kindergarten in the UM Children's Centers laboratory preschool programs on campus. Classroom placements require eight to twelve hours per week (scheduled in four — hour blocks of time; MWF or TTH combinations). This practicum meets laboratory requirements. A lecture relating theoretical issues to applied practice is held bi — weekly. A course pack (under $30) accompanies the lectures, along with several brief written assignments. There is a meeting between the Master/Head Teacher and student at midterm and final designed to guide and reflect the classroom experience and the students growth and development in their interactions with children.
One of the following: PSYCH 111, 112, 114, or 115 and permission of instructor.
Karey Leach Fugenschuh
PSYCH 317/AMCULT 306: Community Research
4 Credits
This course will cover research methodologies useful in understanding communities. These include community needs and asset assessment, analysis of census and other statistical information on communities, evaluation of programs offered by community organizations, and surveys of community residents. Through readings, lectures, and discussion, the class will consider what is involved in each of these methods and when each is appropriate. Students will use one of these methodologies to carry out a research project in collaboration with a community organization in Detroit. Results from this project will be communicated through a paper and poster session. Requirements include readings, lectures, a community profile, and a write-up of the research project.
Concurrent enrollment in PSYCH 318/AMCULT 307 and one of the following: PSYCH 111, 112, 114, or 115.
Lorraine M Gutierrez
PSYCH 319, Section 001/AMCULT 319: Empowering Families and Communities
4 Credits
The goal of this course is to teach students the process of family and community empowerment with didactic and experiential coursework as well as practical community fieldwork. Students will meet as a class, one day a week. Students will choose a Detroit area field placement. The class is structured as follows: the first half of the class period will be devoted to class discussion of specific topics augmented by readings, experiential exercises, guest speakers, and videos; the second half of the class period will be devoted to discussions related to fieldwork. Students will be expected to discuss issues specific to their placement and to incorporate ideas from didactic materials with their field experiences.
Lorraine M Gutierrez
PSYCH 325/AMCULT 321: Practicum in the Multicultural Community
Section 101
3 Credits
This course is an experiential field course involving two visits per week to an African-American, Arab-American or Latino community in Detroit. Students will be assigned to work with community-based organizations on projects to improve the well being of children and families. Projects involve such activities as tutoring, developing outreach activities, assisting in child care settings, and working in community education projects. Internships will be supervised by the instructor and program staff. Transportation will be provided. Students will also attend a seminar meeting once a week to integrate theory with practice. That seminar time will be arranged at a time convenient to the students and the instructor.
Section 001: Essential risk and protective themes of at-risk youth in the local Washtenaw County communities
3 Credits
Course is designed to introduce students to essential risk and protective themes of at-risk youth in the local Washtenaw County communities. Students will learn about risk and protective factors in neighborhood contexts, and the impact of social injustices (e.g., racism and discrimination), culture, attitudes and beliefs that negatively impact the social mobility of at-risk youth. Through readings, interviews with indigenous leaders (e.g., former professional athletes), guest lectures and on-site learning opportunities, students will develop an understanding of how leadership emerges, and ways in which communities are designed and function as part of a broader system of care for at-risk youth. Students will develop an understanding of how to assess, engage in and actively participate in community-based programs serving youth. This course is designed for junior and senior-level students in Psychology and other social sciences. A laboratory component of this course involves one visit or hosting per week with an at-risk youth serving organization in Washtenaw County. Students are assigned to work with community-based organizations on projects to improve the well-being of youth in their community. Projects include activities such as hosting youth on campus, developing community out-reach activities, working on community education projects and/or tutoring. Students will also conduct an extensive interview with an indigenous leader who has demonstrated a commitment to serving at-risk youth either through employment or as a volunteer. These direct practice experiences with at-risk youth and indigenous leaders provides greater understanding and application of course concepts, more in-depth learning, and for writing an integrative paper.
With permission of instructor.
Section 201
3 Credits
This course is an experiential field course involving two visits per week to an African-American, Arab-American or Latino community in Detroit. Students will be assigned to work with community-based organizations on projects to improve the well being of children and families. Projects involve such activities as tutoring, developing outreach activities, assisting in child care settings, and working in community education projects. Internships will be supervised by the instructor and program staff. Transportation will be provided. Students will also attend a seminar meeting once a week to integrate theory with practice. That seminar time will be arranged at a time convenient to the students and the instructor.
Advisory Prerequisites: Lorraine M Gutierrez
PSYCH 485: Gender, Mentoring, and Technology
3 credits
This course provides students with supervised opportunities to integrate theory and practice by combining readings on mentoring, gender, and technology and adolescent girl's development with online observations and interactions with adolescent girls who are users of the SmartGirl.org website. Students must be willing to serve as participant observers on the Smartgirl.org project. This class will meet once a week to discuss observations and course readings. Written requirement will be a weekly reflective journal. Instruction and supervision by Abigail Stewart (Psychology and Women's Studies) and Tiffany Marra (Project Manager for SmartGirl at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender).
Tiffany Vera Marra
RCCORE 334: Special Topics
Section 002: Tutoring Bilingual Children. Working with the Latino Community in Ann Arbor
3 credits
The economic and social conditions in Michigan have attracted many families from different Latin American countries, which have led to a growing Latino community in the Ann Arbor area. Children of these families are enrolled in the city school system and for many, succeeding academically is a difficult task due to a series of factors. This independent study will be based on the work carried out by PALMA, a University of Michigan student organization that focuses on helping Latino children to improve their learning skills and succeed in school. This course is oriented towards advanced students of Spanish who want to use their language skills by directly and personally engaging with members of the Latino community in Ann Arbor. Students will hold tutoring lessons twice a week and will meet once a week to discuss assigned articles and debate specific topics and situations dealing with their experiences as tutors. A weekly journal and a final report will summarize the different experiences and challenges of tutoring, and will allow the students to analyze different learning strategies, problems and solutions obtained during the course in order to make well-supported recommendations directed towards improving the results of the community work carried out by Palma.
Christhian C. Espinoza-Pino
RCCORE 334: Special Topics
Section 002: Tutoring Bilingual Children. Working with the Latino Community in Ann Arbor
3 Credits
The economic and social conditions in Michigan have attracted many families from different Latin American countries, which have led to a growing Latino community in the Ann Arbor area. Children of these families are enrolled in the city school system and for many, succeeding academically is a difficult task due to a series of factors. This independent study will be based on the work carried out by PALMA, a University of Michigan student organization that focuses on helping Latino children to improve their learning skills and succeed in school. This course is oriented towards advanced students of Spanish who want to use their language skills by directly and personally engaging with members of the Latino community in Ann Arbor. Students will hold tutoring lessons twice a week and will meet once a week to discuss assigned articles and debate specific topics and situations dealing with their experiences as tutors. A weekly journal and a final report will summarize the different experiences and challenges of tutoring, and will allow the students to analyze different learning strategies, problems and solutions obtained during the course in order to make well-supported recommendations directed towards improving the results of the community work carried out by Palma.
Christhian C. Espinoza-Pino (ccespino@umich.edu)
RCCORE 334: Special Topics
Section 004: Community Theater Collaborative: Performing Detroit's History Across Generations 3 credits
In this class, students will be introduced to the field of grassroots, or community-based theater, through co-creating a performance about Detroit's Civil Rights Movement with seniors (from Detroit's Hannan House) and teens (from the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit). This performance will inform the creation of Mosaic's main stage show to premiere in spring of 2007. Students will be transported weekly to Hannan House for two hour theater-making sessions; weekly readings and assignments will be discussed during each commute. This course is designed to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to incorporate applied theater techniques into their own work. As such, readings will entail theater-making guides, including selections from Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed; basic performance theory helping us to understand what this work "does" in performance; and a range of community-based dramatic literature. This class welcomes students at any stage in their education pursuing any discipline. It is highly suggested for those who are interested in creating meaningful work while making profound interpersonal connections in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. Because this course demands a small enrollment, course meeting times will be determined according to its students' schedules.
Katherine Mendeloff (mendelof@umich.edu)
RCSSCI 354: Nonviolence in Action
Section 001 4 credits
This course focuses on powerful, nonviolent strategies that have been used successfully by people all over the world to respond to global and local conflicts. Through readings, videos, frequent reading-journal assignments and several longer papers, small group discussions, guest speakers, and student-initiated community action projects, students attempt to define central terms such as violence, war, terrorism, justice, nonviolence, and peace. They look at current US aggressive interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq; the Israel/Palestine conflict; and UN peacekeeping efforts such as Rwanda and Bosnia. They become acquainted with various philosophies of nonviolence (found in Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, "just war" theory; secular pacifism and political activism). They examine case studies of strategic nonviolent action (Poland, South Africa, India, Chile, the Chicano Farm Workers Movement, and the US Civil Rights Movement, as well as current anti-war and anti-globalization protests). They examine their own and others' assumptions about "human nature," and learn to respond orally and in writing to arguments justifying war and aggression. Although the purpose of the course is to pose alternatives to the use of aggression in solving human problems, students are encouraged to come to their own conclusions about when and where the use of violence might be justified. Student-designed community projects might involve facilitating discussion groups about nonviolent methods in a high school or middle school, writing and performing skits in classrooms or public spaces that raise questions about peace and war; producing and distributing a journal or zine containing essays, interviews, and poetry; or creating and exhibiting art that engages viewers in critical thinking about some of the concepts in the course.
Helen Fox
SAC 190: First-Year Film Seminar
Section 001: Documentary Film/Video as Agents of Citizenship and Social Change
3 credits
This course will explore documentary media as a tool for social change. The history of social documentary will be examined through screening and discussion and sessions with guest artists. Students will work in small groups, partnering with a community organization or non-profit group to produce short productions on digital video. The class will also cover media aesthetics and technical skills needed for production work, including camera, sound, and editing.
Terri L Sarris
SAC 404: Interdisciplinary Collaborations in Visual Media
Section 101: Community Filmmaking
In this workshop course, students will learn, practice, and refine skills necessary for the production of an independent feature film. Working with scenes from a select original screenplay, students will work on script breakdowns, location scouting casting, and will work with actors/blocking while also working with cameras and editing. In addition, ten to twenty high school students from the metro Detroit area will be selected to "apprentice" with the class. The class is scheduled to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 — 1, but additional Saturday or Sunday times may be necessary to accomodate the schedules of the Detroit students and for production in Detroit. Guest speakers and field trips may also be a part of the course. Following the spring workshop, the feature length film from the same script will be shot during the summer months (participating in the summer film is not required as part of the course but is encouraged — details TBD).
A 300- (or 400-) level production course in the relevant emphasized area: FILMVID/SAC 300, 301, 302, or 306; and permission of instructor.
Terri L Sarris
SOC 389: Practicum in Sociology
SOC 389 is known as Project Community. Students combine three to four hours of weekly service in community settings, with weekly student-led seminars. Seminars are interactive, focus on related sociological issues, and provide a time for mutual support, planning, and problem-solving. Students enrolled in SOC 389 are responsible for regular attendance in the weekly seminar as well as regular participation at the designated community service site. Students will be asked to complete weekly readings and reflective journal assignments, a midterm paper/project, and a final paper/project. Over 35 community service settings are available. They include schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, shelters, advocacy agencies, and family care organizations. Transportation to off-campus service sites is provided to all students and is coordinated through the Project Community office. Questions and override requests must be directed to the Project Community Office, 1024 Hill Street, (734) 647-8771, pcinfo@umich.edu.
Information about the individual sections of SOC 389, and the community sites they work with, can be found on the LSA course guide at http://www.lsa.umich.edu/cg/.
Waitlist Policy:
People will be given permissions to join the class from the waitlist on a first come first serve basis with some rare exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
Ian Robinson
SOC 325: Sociology of Service Learning
This experiential learning course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the sociological theories relevant to community service learning, and the best practices developed by those who have done this kind of work over many years. Particular attention is devoted to the challenges and opportunities that students will face as peer-facilitators (PFs) in undergraduate service-learning classes – specifically, sections of SOC 389 (Sociology Practicum – Project Community).
Students in this course will concurrently facilitate a SOC 389 seminar. To apply for a peer facilitator position, please complete the application found online at http://ginsberg.umich.edu/projectcommunity/apply.html. If you have questions, please contact the Project Community office at 1024 Hill Street, (734) 647-8771,pcinfo@umich.edu. Students who have taken Sociology courses, have participated in community service, and/or have experience facilitating groups should apply!
Ian Robinson
UC 475: When Faith Meets Science: An Evolving Dialogue on New Choices and New Technologies
3 credits
In this seminar-style course open to students in all departments, you will read, research and discuss a variety of viewpoints raised by each of the three general topic areas: (1) The human genome project and faith perspectives, (2) Policy, economic, community, and religious perspectives: How 'should' the life sciences influence my behavior or the behavior of others? (3) Human dignity, human capacity, and social justice: Examining genetics and health disparities. Topics will be presented by the instructor and a variety of guest lecturers, and will be integrated with community forums on these topics, in which students will be expected to participate in planning and evaluating.
Sharon L. R. Kardia
UC 151: First-Year Social Science Seminar
Section 004: Lives of Urban Children and Youth: Schools, Community, Power
3 credits
This is a service-learning course that integrates traditional coursework with personal reflection and community involvement. The goal of the course is to explore the dynamics of formal and informal education in urban settings. This course will help university students to understand the effects of social history and culture on the social identity of young children and how community members, especially elders, help to create and support positive roles for young children within this community. Students work closely with members of the community and program staff to document cultural beliefs and practices that help to shape social identity and social expectations within the community.
Only first-year students, including those with sophomore standing, may pre-register for First-Year Seminars. All others need permission of instructor.
Joseph A Galura
UP 539: Methods for Economic Development Planning
3 credits
This course provides students with background in some of the methods used by economic development planners to understand a local economy and to identify directions for planning action. Students learn to use the methods, understand and critique reports that use the methods, and assess the problems of a local economy. Methods include location quotients, shift-share analysis, input-output, retail trade area analysis, industry sector analysis, and others
WOMENSTD 485: Gender, Mentoring, and Technology
3 credits
This course provides students with supervised opportunities to integrate theory and practice by combining readings on mentoring, gender, and technology and adolescent girl's development with online observations and interactions with adolescent girls who are users of the SmartGirl.org website. Students must be willing to serve as participant observers on the Smartgirl.org project. This class will meet once a week to discuss observations and course readings. Written requirement will be a weekly reflective journal. Instruction and supervision by Abigail Stewart (Psychology and Women's Studies) and Tiffany Marra (Project Manager for SmartGirl at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender).
Tiffany Vera Marra
WOMENSTD 350: Women and the Community
4 credits
"Women in the Community" aims to address the gaps and misconceptions that often exist between feminism as an academic discourse and feminism in practice. Through classroom engagement and community involvement, students will explore the intersection of academia and activism as it pertains to working to improve the lives of women and their communities. WOMENSTD 350 students commit to volunteering in an area community-based organization as well as to active participation in the classroom. The course will consider the writings and work of well- and lesser-known activists and feminists; local, national, and international activism efforts current and past; and the roles of necessity, inspiration, and/or choice in working towards social justice. Students will have the opportunity to dialogue with community activists from diverse backgrounds and learn about community activism from a variety of perspectives. The course will encourage students to see themselves as world citizens and to assess their own passions and potential contributions to creating a more just world. Through readings, written assignments, classroom participation, and service experiences this course endeavors to nurture and facilitate: critical thinking about community service, feminisms, and their relationships to social change; consideration of how feminist thought can be applied to work in communities and how communities can inform feminist thought; and the development of skills for working effectively within community-based organizations and with communities around issues that affect women's lives. No Instructor Consent Needed.
