SYB 115

STUDIES IN SOCIAL PROBLEMS

SPRING 2009

W. DOANE

 

 

 

                 SOCIAL PROBLEMS PROJECT--SERVICE LEARNING

 

 

Description:

 

In conjunction with your service learning activity, you will keep a journal of your experiences.  Your journal will be a forum in which you undertake a sociological analysis of your service-learning activities and the social problem(s) to which it is related.  You will be asked to make sociological observations in your volunteer setting, to apply course concepts and readings to analyze your experiences, to gather information about the problem, and to discuss possible solutions to the problems(s).  While some journal entries will be expected to follow specific guidelines, others may be on topics chosen by you.  In general, the purpose of the journal is for you to go beyond pro­viding a descrip­tion of your activities and think (socio­logi­cally) about the issues/problems addressed by your service learning activity.

 

I expect six journal entries for the semester—five 2-page (typewritten) entries and one longer “final” entry.  Details on journal content are provided below.  While final evaluation of journals will not be until the end of the semester, you will be required to submit one entry on Tuesday, March 3.  The purpose of this requirement is to enable me to assess your progress and to provide you with necessary feedback (you may revise the first two entries after I return them).  You will submit an additional two entries for comment on March 31.  You will also be expected to keep a log of your volunteer activity and to submit this on March 3, on March 31, and at the end of the semester.  Please contact me immediately if you experience problems with your service-learning activity or journal.

 

Topics:            [PLEASE READ CAREFULLY]

 

While journal topics may vary according to individual experiences, the following list of topics is presented to provide you with ideas for your weekly entry.  Please note that some items are marked as required; other topics may be included at your discretion.  In addition, you may also include entries which contain “open” observations and analysis related to your service learning activity (please feel free to meet with me to discuss ideas for journal entries).  Students undertaking service-learning activities other than Educational Main Street are strongly urged to meet with me to discuss plans for journal entries.

 

 

 

Journal Entries for EMS Tutors

 

1.   “Impressions” (Required entry.  The guidelines for this assignment were distributed in February)

 

Your first journal entry should be a discussion/analysis of your first impressions of your service learning experience.  Be sure to address the following:

 

·        Provide a brief description of the setting, clients, your co-workers, and your activity.

 

·        Discuss your reaction to your setting, clients, and co-workers.  Use your reaction as “data” to analyze your setting.  For EMS tutors: compare/contrast your tutoring setting with the schools that you attended.

 

·        If you have engaged in previous volunteer work—either at U of H or elsewhere—compare your first impressions of this setting (and clients) with your other volunteer experiences.

 

·        [Important!] What social problems and issues are addressed by your volunteer activity?   Try to go beyond the obvious (think about indirect social effects--connections to other social problems).  Why are these important?  What social issues and sociological questions can be linked to your volunteer work (in other words, think of some things that you would like to know/find out over the next few months)?

 

2.  Interview [optional topic]

 

Conduct an informal interview with EMS or school staff about the problems and challenges faced by the educational system, then write an analysis of the issues raised by your interview.  Please meet with me before undertaking this. 

 

3.      Context for Tutoring: Educational Inequality in Hartford and in Connecticut (required for EMS tutors).

 

One goal of the Educational Main Street tutoring program is to provide additional academic support to students in schools that suffer from racial and socioeconomic segregation.  The Hartford Public schools are 94%-96% minority surrounded by (with a few exceptions) suburban school systems that are predominantly white.

 

  • Read selected material (distributed by the instructor) from The Children in Room E-4—an in-depth look at education in Hartford.  This reading discusses how the Hartford school system became racially segregated.

·        Compare school district profiles for Hartford, West Hartford (a relatively diverse and relatively affluent inner suburb), and Avon (a predominantly white and affluent suburb). Look at demographic data (%minority, % with non-English home language) and socioeconomic data (% with free or reduced price lunch, 2000 per capita income, % adults without a high school diploma)—then look at student performance (SAT, CMT, CAPT, graduation and dropout rates).  The district profiles are available on the tutor resources page (which you can access via the service learning page).

 

Discuss the reading and analyze the data (compare the city and the suburbs).  What conclusions can you draw?  Think of this information as the context for your tutoring experience. 

 

4.  Social Problems Analysis--Education (recommended for EMS tutors).

 

Read “Children of the City Invincible” (a chapter from Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities) on electronic reserve for SYB 115 in the University Library.  Author Jonathan Kozol has been a critic of educational inequality in the U.S. since the late 1960s.  Discuss the core issues raised in the reading.  Apply the social problems perspectives discussed in class.  Apply the material to your tutoring experience.

 

5.  Magnet Schools (required)

 

Many tutors are volunteering in magnet schools.  Magnet schools first emerged in the 1970s as one solution to the problem of school segregation.  They were designed to improve school diversity and quality while encouraging voluntary participation.  The report “The Forgotten Choice: Rethinking Magnet Schools” discusses the past and present role of magnet schools and analyzes how they have affected students.  Read the report (available on the tutor resources page) and write a response.

 

 

6.  Social Policy and Social Change (optional--recommended for later in the semester).

 

Develop and discuss your ideas as to how you might improve the program/organization in which you are working.  What other programs could be developed to address the problem?  What more needs to be done to address the problem for society as a whole?

 

7.  Social Problems Analysis [optional]

 

Apply the various perspectives discussed in class (person-blame/system-blame, social constructionism, political economy) to the problem(s) addressed by your service-learning volunteer activity.

 

 

8.   Final Entry [required—should be done during the last week of classes] 

 

The final entry in your service learning journal should be an essay in which you reflect upon your service learning experi­ence.  Summarize/discuss what you have learned from your volun­teer work--about yourself, about volunteer work, about the social prob­lem(s) addressed by your volunteer work, and about society in general.  Are there any course concepts/sociological concepts that you feel are particularly relevant to understanding your experiences?  I expect that this entry will be more comprehensive (3-4 pages) than your weekly entries. 

 

 

Student-Generated topics

 

You may develop your own ideas for a journal entry to replace one or more of the optional topics.  Please be sure to discuss your ideas with me BEFORE you being work on the entry.

 

 

Final Submission:

 

Your final project submission should contain the following:

 

·                    Journal entries (as described above).  All journal entries should be typewritten.  Be sure that you have completed ALL required entries for your volunteer activity.

 

·                    Completed volunteer activity log forms.  You may--at your option--submit any comments given to you by your supervisor.

 

 

Journals are due no later than the last day of class—Tuesday, May 5.  Late submissions will be penalized.

 

 

 

Evaluation:

 

Evaluation of your journal will be based on (1) the depth and insightfulness of your journal entries and (2) the clarity of your writing.  While you will not be graded on volunteer activity attendance as such, failure to keep your commitment will be reflected in your grade (significant lapses in your volunteer activity will result in your receiving a failing grade for your project).  In addition, you are encouraged (but not required) to obtain and submit a letter of evaluation from the contact person­ or supervisor for your volunteer activity (these are provided automatically for EMS volunteers).  Be sure to devote adequate time and effort to your journal as it will comprise 33% of your grade for this course.