Teaching and learning active citizenship - Student, faculty and community experiences of service learning in the postgraduate classroom
Clodagh Harris (University College Cork)
Abstract
This paper explores student, faculty and community experiences of postgraduate service learning projects that took place in University College Cork (UCC) in partnership with Carrigtwohill St Vincent de Paul in the academic year 2008-2009. In particular it investigates the relationship between service learning and civic education. Recognising that service learning' is an academic strategy that seeks to engage students in activities that enhance academic learning, civic responsibility and the skill of citizenship, while also enhancing community capacity through service' (Furco and Holland, 2004:27) this paper critically analyses the impact of service learning in the National Academy for the Integration of Research & Teaching & Learning (NAIRTL) funded project 'The active citizenship approach to teaching and learning active citizenship: Integrating research, teaching and learning in the postgraduate classroom'.
The project forms part of a Masters module (GV6104) entitled ‘The Dynamics of Public Participation’ that explores the relationship between democracy and participation and examines theories of active democratic citizenship, empowerment, and political participation. It centres on training students of the MBS Government/MA Politics in the internationally respected Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VSPJ) voter awareness/voter education active citizenship programme. Students of this programme have delivered it in Cork prison in advance of the Irish general election 2007 in the past. The current project involved delivering the programme in the Carrigtwohill Saint Vincent de Paul Family Resource Centre in advance of the 2009 European Parliament and Local Government elections and to students in UCC’s Certificate in Political issues in Ireland which is offered to refugees and asylum seekers. As part of their course-work the students developed, designed and produced additional teaching materials tailored for the specific community groups.
In order to critically evaluate the project this paper: investigates service learning as a pedagogy, reviewing the literature on the relationship between it and civic education; and evaluates the performance of the UCC project using survey data and learning journal commentary gathered from students and from feedback in the form of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with the community partners and the Certificate students.
