I.            Catalogue Description and Hours of Credit:

            This course provides the opportunity for community involvement through identification of individual and community needs and personnel participation through volunteerism. (3)

II.            INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF THE COURSE:

            This course will integrate knowledge and concepts from Social Systems and Behavioral Systems.  The course will focus on the interrelatedness and interdependency of individuals and community social institutions.  It will explore how reciprocal in the relationships between individuals and their environment effect the developments of healthy and productive individuals, families and groups, encourage productive citizen involvement, and build effective communities.  Students will explore these dimensions guided by relevant theory related to the mutually influential interactions between the environment and individuals related to important social issues and those essential to everyday living.  Consideration is given to how the community shapes individuals and how individuals shape the community and its institutions.  Students will develop a more critical and informed ability for understanding the nature of community social problems and how the powerful, proactive force of volunteerism can help a community meet needs of its members.  Students will integrate these concepts through study and volunteer involvement in community service projects.

III.            Prerequisites:

              Completion of the University Studies requirements in the categories of Behavioral Systems and Social Systems and at least 45 hours of university credit.
IV.            Objectives of the Course: 

            A.            To help students understand the nature and role of volunteerism and its potential impact on social and political systems, the recipients of volunteer efforts, and themselves.

              B.            To help students develop their ability to conceptualize, analyze, understand, and propose solutions to the needs of individuals, families and groups, the community, and the environment. 

            C.            To help students understand the nature of community and the interconnected and interdependent relationships that exists between individuals and groups and the community’s social and political institutions. 

           D.  To give students the opportunity to recognize and understand the diversity that exists in the cultural, ethnic, lifestyle, and value differences of a pluralistic society and its impact on needs and solutions. 

           E.  To provides students with an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the range of individual and community problems that exist in Southeast Missouri. 

            F.            To assists students in developing the essential tools for effective community service and experiential learning.

             G.  To challenge students to test their values and beliefs about the individual’s relationship with the community through study and community service activities. 

            H.            To promotes critical thinking that considers the collective strength of a diverse and pluralistic society in understanding underlying causes of social problems and actively addressing those issues in communities.

              I.            To help the student begin to see themselves as an important part of a larger, interconnected and interdependent community in identifying and responding to individual and community needs.

  IV.            Expectation of Students

             A.  Students are expected to clearly demonstrate all competencies consistent with the objectives of this service-learning course.

              B.            Students are expected to demonstrate active identification with the values, skills, knowledge, and attitude's compatible with the philosophy of volunteerism and community service. 

            C.            Students are expected to attend all seminars, complete all assignments, participate in al seminar activities, and strongly contribute to the seminar by discussion and written work.

            D.            Students are expected to assume active responsibility for their own learning by independent reading, literature search, research, media awareness, etc.