Community-Based Learning Opportunities
A sampling of courses
Franklin & Marshall College
Community-Based Learning & Experiential-Learning Courses
2000-2010
* =ACTIVE Courses
*ANT102: Introduction to Archaeology (Mary Ann Levine)Students in this course may elect to present a traveling archaeology toolkit to students at local elementary schools. Students who choose this option speak individually in front of a class for at least 20 to 30 minutes; the elementary students are encouraged to ask questions and interact as much as possible with the F&M student presenter. The presentation itself covers “the basics” about archaeology as well as a segment on the historic Thaddeus Stevens site.
*BOS341A: Marketing (Con Kasperson)
Students in this course are collaborating with the James Street Improvement District, the Mayor’s Office, and the Lancaster Barnstormers to devise means for encouraging people to spend money in Lancaster (beyond what they might spend at a baseball game) and thereby benefit the local economy. In the Fall 2003 semester, students worked with recent graduates of ASSETS, a self-employment training program for low- to moderate-income persons. The students helped these graduates, who have already established their businesses, to develop marketing plans.
*ENV 373: Social Dimensions of Conservation (Keely Maxwell)
This course examines the social realities that conservationists encounter when trying to save biodiversity or manage parks. Students apply ideas to a local case study. They learn techniques to be applied, working in the field with stakeholders to understand how people use and value nature, and to incorporate these findings into conservation planning.
*ENV 376: Health Risks in the Environment (Richard Pepino)
This seminar course focuses on known and emerging environmental hazards that may present significant public health risks to populations they effect. Important epidemiological, demographic, and environmental justice issues will be explored through work on class projects designed to identify populations that are most “sensitive” to environmental insults. Students collect and analyze soil samples for lead content levels in cooperation with the City of Lancaster’s Lead Prevention Office. Same as PUB/STS 376
*ECO 100: Introduction to Economics (Sean Flaherty)
For practical experience related to principles of economics, students assist job seekers at PA CareerLink, work as liaisons between creditors and consumers at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central PA (a division of Tabor Community Services), and provide income tax credit information sessions to persons eligible for the federal earned income tax credit.
*ECO430: Researching the Local Economy (Callari, Flaherty)
Ongoing research project on local (Lancaster City, County, and region) economic issues and trends. Students choose from specific topics on which to conduct supervised research.
*CCS 136: Folktales, Fairytales, and Legends: Storytelling and the Construction of Community (Lisa Gasbarrone, French)
Reading the tales that we grew up with, and learning to look at them in new and exciting ways, what do they tell us about the societies in which they were produced? How are material culture, power structures, class and gender issues portrayed? How do they construct and teach the values of a given community? Students in this course are given the option to tutor adults learning to read in the Adult Basic Education class of the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, an education service agency of the PA Dept. of Education, the Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, tutor Reynolds Middle School students in writing workshops, and tutor Wharton Elementary School students through America Reads.
*CCS 139/FND165: Human Rights for All? (Susan Dicklitch, Government)
This course explored the trial of humanity and human rights. Focusing on the global, national and local aspects of human rights, this course also integrated a service-learning component at the local level. Three main topics will be examined at the international, national and local level: physical security, basic needs (shelter, food and clothing) and minority rights (gay rights, women's rights). In the spirit of foundations inquiry, students examined several "big questions" about humanity and human rights. What are human rights? Are they necessary? Do certain people have or deserve more rights than others? What causes human rights abuses? How do we rectify human rights abuses?
*CCS 143: Community Media Lab (Dirk Eitzen, Theater Dance and Film)
As part of a Foundations course,16 students, two student-teachers, two faculty members, two professional filmmakers, and five community members worked together to explore the questions “What is community?” “Where does community come from?” and “How can we use video and the internet to foster community?” by (among other things) working on media projects on the following topics:
• TV spots promoting volunteerism
• A “living history” drama that celebrates the part played by a local African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the Underground Railroad
• The Urban League’s efforts to teach computer literacy to inner-city youth
• Experiments using a locally-written drama for diversity awareness training
• A response to the scandalous depiction of Lancaster natives Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith in the 1915 film Birth of a Nation (one of the most famous and influential movies of all time and still a staple of film history classes)
*CCS: Literature, Censorship and Terror (Carmen Tisnado, Spanish)
This course focuses on how state terror disrupts community through censorship and institutionalized torture. The study is done through analytical readings of different literary genres, exploring the representation of life under state terror in literature. Students are also required to interview Lancaster community members from international communities afflicted by terror.
*CCS158: Food (Padmini Mongia, English Dept)
The class is built around three ways of understanding Food: as something that travels, as something we eat, and as a way of understanding culture. The first paper assigned is on Central Market. In the segment of the course called “Food and Nutrition,” the campus nutritionist Carol Spicher visits the class. Her visit is followed by that of Mark Wirtz, head of Sodexho Foods, here on campus. Later in the semester, during a section of the course titled “Local Food/Traveling Food,” students do an oral report on ethnic restaurants in Lancaster. Students also visit local farms, and local farmer and Kellogg fellow, Jonathan Thomas visits the class.
*FND 184: House (Michael Clapper)
A house fulfills a basic human need for shelter, yet houses are much more than that. This course asks: What kinds of needs does a house fulfill? Why do houses take on such varied and particular forms and configurations? What can we learn about people and human society by looking at houses? Use resources dealing with development planning, housing stock, and housing rehabilitation.
*MSS143/FND114: The Self and the Other (Patrick Bernard, English)
The final paper in this course requires the student to write an essay concerning the “self” and the “other” in Lancaster County. In order to gain the perspective and information necessary for this project, students are encouraged to volunteer at a local organization and interact with its constituents.
*NTW 124: Plants, Food, and People (Carl Pike, Ellie Rice, Biology)
Students in this course are growing vegetables from seed in the College greenhouse with students from Reynolds Middle School, are co-teaching a healthy-cooking class at Reynolds Middle School, are creating an ethnic healthy-foods cookbook with students from Wharton Elementary School, and are coordinating spring planting activities in our Urban Garden Project with Wharton, and are assisting students from PUB 485 on their website:
http://edisk.fandm.edu/pub/food/
*FRN 373: Contemporary French Civilization and Culture (Cindy Yetter-Vassot)
Students in this course teach elementary French to fourth-graders at Neff Elementary School (Manheim Township) and Sacred Heart School in Lancaster.
GOV328: Evil vs. Good: The Struggle for Human Rights (Susan Dicklitch)
Are humans inherently evil – driven to commit human rights abuses for power, money, love or revenge? How can we explain the atrocities humans continue to commit against humans? The class is devoted to understanding what are human rights, why human rights abuses occur, and what can be done to curb human rights abuses. Students working in teams of two or three create and implement a “pay-it-forward” project.
*GOV 370: Urban Politics: Research Practicum (James Shutlz)
Looks at the interrelationships of those factors that impact on the governance of cities. The political, legal, historical, social, economic, and demographic aspects of city life will be explored in a small group, discussion based approach to understand how city government respond to these conditions. Students will also undertake research projects individually or in small groups, using the Lancaster community as an urban and metropolitan microcosm to do community-based studies.
*GOV 425: Human Rights, Human Wrongs (Susan Dicklitch)
What is a “well-founded fear of persecution”? Who deserves to live in the U.S.? Students, in teams of two will work with a political asylum seeker, under the supervision of PIRC (Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center) a non-profit legal organization. The teams will compile evidence, testimony, detainee affidavits, and a legal brief that will be used in immigration court.
*GOV 470/INT 472: Citizenship Seminar (Trachte/Medvic)
This seminar undertakes a broad and interdisciplinary examination of the concept and practice of citizenship. We begin by exploring the historical development of ‘good citizenship’ in the United States. We then examine the question of whether American democracy has been ‘diminished’ by
a recent failure of civic engagement in this country. We conclude the course by examining the philosophic bases of civil rights and civic obligations in our liberal democracy and explore some current issues facing American citizens in both a national and a global context.
GOV472: Citizenship Seminar (Trachte/Dicklitch)
This community-based learning seminar undertakes a broad and interdisciplinary examination of the concept and practice of citizenship. We begin by exploring the historical development of citizenship in the United States. What does it mean to be a “good” citizen, an “engaged” citizen, a “2nd class” citizen? What rights, responsibilities and obligations do citizens have? Does this vary according to nation? What happens when you lose your citizenship or are born stateless?
We conclude the course by examining the philosophic bases of civil rights and civic obligations in our liberal democracy and explore some current issues surrounding citizenship in both a national and a global context. Students will work with resettled refugees and permanent refugees naturalizing in Lancaster County. The community based-learning component of this class will introduce students to the challenges of losing citizenship in another country and being resettled here in the United States.
*PSY 308: Introduction to Psychopathology (Michael Penn)
Students in this course have the option to work with Heartland Hospice Services, Lancaster Mediation Services, and local high school counseling offices.
PUB 277: Political Economy of Health Care: Pregnancy Outcomes (team taught)
A seminar format of economic issues underlying health care access, delivery, and outcomes in the United States and in comparative perspective. The course involves a community-based learning option for students to write a research paper based on their field experiences over the semester.
*PUB 376: Health Risks in the Environment (Richard Pepino)
This seminar course focuses on known and emerging environmental hazards that may present significant public health risks to populations they effect. Important epidemiological, demographic, and environmental justice issues will be explored through work on class projects designed to identify populations that are most “sensitive” to environmental insults. Students collect and analyze soil samples for lead content levels in cooperation with the City of Lancaster’s Lead Prevention Office. Same as PUB/STS 376
PUB 480: Healthy Communities Movement (Sean Flaherty, Economics)
Students worked with our community partner, Lancaster Healthy Communities, on various community health-related programs and research projects.
PUB 480A: Homelessness Best Practices
Conducted as part of a public policy seminar consisting of twelve students, this course had a strong emphasis on direct community research. Students were accordingly involved in traditional classroom work as well as cooperative research projects relating numerous aspects of homelessness to public policy.
*PUB 480B: Urban Labor Markets and Public Policy (Sean Flaherty, Economics)
Students in this course on labor market policy assisted local job training and placement agencies with their programs to enhance employment opportunities for inner-city residents.
PUB 480: Tuberculosis (Dick Fluck, Biology)
Community-based research projects on TB, including the budget of the Commonwealth of PA for TB control, TB control and prevention in immigrant and refugee communities in Lancaster County, epidemiology, and other issues.
*PUB484: Urban Education (Sean Flaherty, Economics; Katherine McClelland, Sociology)
Students in this course are required to spend 20 hours in an urban SDoL classroom over the course of the semester. Students are expected to observe the dynamics of urban education (theory in action) and interact with the students as tutors/mentors, thereby positively contributing to the education of urban youth.
*PUB 485: Food: Communities, Ethics, Economies (Linda Aleci, Art & Art History)
This interdisciplinary course examines the ethical, cultural/environmental, and economic dimensions of food systems through the works of historians, economists, agrarians, ethno-botanists, food activists, and planners. In addition to a research project, students are working with the Lancaster Farmland Trust on a “buy local” campaign, researching successful “buy local” campaigns for the Lancaster County Planning Commission, providing administrative and farming support for Scarecrow Hill Community Supported Agricultural Farm, researching food councils, and have launched an educational web site: http://edisk.fandm.edu/pub/food/
*SOC/PUB 384: Sociology of Urban Education
(Katherine McClelland, Sociology; Sean Flaherty, Economics)
Exploring the many issues in urban education, students in this course tutored students at Wharton Elementary School, Reynolds Middle School, and McCaskey High School.
*SPA221: Conversation and Composition (Roxana Delbene, Neryamn Nieves)
To enhance their oral and written skills, students in this course will be translating documents (Wharton Elementary newsletter, diabetes survey) for use in the community. Many will also visit an ESL/ELL classroom, conduct surveys in Spanish, and mingle with residents at Church and Farnum Towers as part of a diabetes education program in those residences.
SPA 372: Hispanic Medical Discourse (Roxana Delbene)
How do we talk to our physicians if we/they are Hispanics or European-Americans? What are the metaphors associated with different illnesses? How do patients’ “ways of speaking” shape their medical interactions with their physicians? Could these ways of speaking lead to stigmatization? Students will study these questions in observations between physicians and patients at Lancaster General Hospital’s Family Health Service, Dr. Peter Hurtubise of Community Hospital, and Southeast Lancaster Health Services.
*SPA 374: Linguistica aplicada (Kim Armstrong)
Students apply theory of this linguistics course in English as a Second Language classrooms and Spanish courses in local elementary schools and McCaskey High School’s International School.
*SPA 472: Latinos in the U.S. (Kim Armstrong)
Spanish majors tutored and mentored Spanish-speaking children in a drug and alcohol awareness program sponsored by a local agency, improving their own fluency in the language.
*TDF 175: Dance and Community (Pam Vail)
Identifying the varying associations between dance and community in a sociological/anthropological approach, students observe and participate in local community dance activities, such as Native American dance, Contra (Traditional) dance, international folk dance, creative movement, African, and Latino dance. Representatives from each of these dance communities have spoken and demonstrated their dance in class, and the students will participate in their dance communities in Lancaster.
TDF 264: Community Media Lab (Max Zug)
An intensive video production workshop conducted by a visiting professional filmmaker. Students produce a documentary on problems and issues in the greater community (New Choices-New Options Plus)
*TDF 364: Documentary Workshop (Dirk Eitzen)
The goal of this workshop is not just to teach students production skills, but also to teach them how the media can be used to discover, celebrate, and even build community. In Spring 2002, the students produced a documentary on Central Market. In Fall 2002, a documentary of Service Learning at F&M was produced.
TDF/PUB 375: Community Media Lab: Criminal Justice (Max Zug, adjunct)
This course explores the criminal justice system in order to understand its limitations in regards to ex-offender reintegration and introduces students to the concept of Restorative Justice. It aims to depict on film the arrest to release process and eventual re-integration into the community of a criminal offender. Through a partnership between Franklin & Marshall and Transition to Community, a faith-based non-profit organization in Lancaster, the goal is to educate the community on the problem of recidivism and present options for rehabilitative justice rather than punitive approaches. It seeks to raise support and commitment for such options. By bringing the story of a rehabilitated offender to light, it offers hope that there is more to the system than harsher sentences and tougher crime laws. It desires to draw the local community into reducing recidivism through the support of families, churches and social services in collaboration with the judicial, legislative and executive arms of government.
TDF 375: Community Media Lab: Trash (Max Zug, adjunct)
Students worked in groups of three in concert with campus and community groups producing awareness-raising media productions related to the topic of how Lancasterians dispose of their waste (or ought to). The community partners were Frey Farm Landfill,
Wharton Elementary School Garden Project, Free Geek Penn, Lancaster Solid Waste Management Authority, James Street Improvement District, City of Lancaster, Habitat For Humanity, Lancaster ReStore.
COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING INTERNSHIPS FOR CREDIT
*INT 274/374: Local Economy Center internships (Callari)
Students intern at several non-profit organizations in Lancaster and meet bi-weekly in lecture format. Year-long course
*IFC 399/ IFC499: Elementary School Teaching internships in Science Education (Carol DeWett)
Involves F&M students in teaching one or two science lessons per week in the School District of Lancaster elementary schools, as well as researching and presenting a paper on educational issues encountered in the classroom.
*INT 473: Problem-Solving Courts (Judge David Ashworth)
This interdisciplinary course, taught by a local Drug Court Judge will introduce students to the world of Problem Solving Courts, including Drug Courts and Mental Health Courts. This will include a hands-on/experiential examination of traditional courts, Drug Court models, and addiction issues.
A major component of this course will involve community-based learning (CBL). Students will be required to interact directly with Drug Court participants and members of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Adult Drug Court Team.
FALL 2009 COURSES
BOS200: Organizing in the 21st Century: Theories of Organization (Bryan Stinchfield)
Students, in teams of two, will interview local business managers, observe local organization’s culture, assess how they do things, and link findings to the readings. Students will also present their findings to the class.
BOS200: Organizing in the 21st Century: Theories of Organization (Trexler Proffitt)
10 Strategy teams ( 5 students per team) go out into the community to provide a strategic analysis and suggestions to the local business
GOV472: Citizenship Seminar (Trachte/Dicklitch)
This community-based learning seminar undertakes a broad and interdisciplinary examination of the concept and practice of citizenship. We begin by exploring the historical development of citizenship in the United States. What does it mean to be a “good” citizen, an “engaged” citizen, a “second- class” citizen? What rights, responsibilities and obligations do citizens have? Does this vary according to nation? What happens when you lose your citizenship or are born stateless?
We conclude the course by examining the philosophic bases of civil rights and civic obligations in our liberal democracy and explore some current issues surrounding citizenship in both a national and a global context. Students will work with resettled refugees and permanent refugees naturalizing in Lancaster County. The community based-learning component of this class will introduce students to the challenges of losing citizenship in another country and being resettled here in the United States.
*IFC 399/ IFC499: Elementary School Teaching internships in Science Education (Carol DeWett)
Involves F&M students in teaching one or two science lessons per week in the School District of Lancaster elementary schools, as well as researching and presenting a paper on educational issues encountered in the classroom.
*INT 274/374: Local Economy Center Internships (Callari)
Students intern at several non-profit organizations in Lancaster and meet bi-weekly in lecture format. Year-long course
SPRING 2010 COURSES
BOS480 Captstone (Trexler Proffitt Jr.)
Students will be required to start a social business in the local Lancaster community.
BOS200: Organizing in the 21st Century: Theories of Organization (Trexler Proffitt)
10 Strategy teams ( 5 students per team) go out into the community to provide a strategic analysis and suggestions to the local business
*NTW 124: Plants, Food, and People (Carl Pike, Ellie Rice, Biology)
Students in this course are growing vegetables from seed in the College greenhouse with students from Reynolds Middle School, are co-teaching a healthy-cooking class at Reynolds Middle School, are creating an ethnic healthy-foods cookbook with students from Wharton Elementary School, and are coordinating spring planting activities in our Urban Garden Project with Wharton, and are assisting students from PUB 485 on their website:
http://edisk.fandm.edu/pub/food/
*GOV 425: Human Rights, Human Wrongs (Susan Dicklitch)
What is a “well-founded fear of persecution”? Who deserves to live in the U.S.? Students, in teams of two will work with a political asylum seeker, under the supervision of PIRC (Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center) a non-profit legal organization. The teams will compile evidence, testimony, detainee affidavits, and a legal brief that will be used in immigration court.
HIS ???: Building Lancaster (David Schuyler)
Students will draw upon the archives of the Wohlsen Company and look at a series of major buildings the company built downtown. The intended outcome is an exhibition and catalogue.
*INT 473: Problem-Solving Courts (Judge David Ashworth)
This interdisciplinary course, taught by a local Drug Court Judge will introduce students to the world of Problem Solving Courts, including Drug Courts and Mental Health Courts. This will include a hands-on/experiential examination of traditional courts, Drug Court models, and addiction issues.
A major component of this course will involve community-based learning (CBL). Students will be required to interact directly with Drug Court participants and members of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Adult Drug Court Team.
PUB 277: Political Economy of Health Care: Pregnancy Outcomes (team taught)
A seminar format of economic issues underlying health care access, delivery, and outcomes in the United States and in comparative perspective. The course involves a community-based learning option for students to write a research paper based on their field experiences over the semester.
TDF 375: Community Media Lab (Max Zug, adjunct)
Students will work with Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County
* =ACTIVE Courses
