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Urban partnerships for international affairs service learning.

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Abstract

Partnerships between universities and K-12 schools offer rich opportunities to implement international service learning, particularly in urban communities where established residents and new international populations are often residentially and socially isolated from one another. A model of university-high school collaboration is described, in which university students mentored Sudanese refugee high school women in the context of a university course on gender and global politics.

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Community service and civic education have enjoyed a recent surge in public interest. Presidential candidates for the 2004 election are already touting plans that would require community service for public high school graduates and would also allow college students to earn tuition for public service (Ramer 2003). There has also been a movement to return higher education to its broader public mission, including preparing students for responsible citizenship (Colby and Ehrlich et.al. xxxiii). While the annual Freshman Survey (CIRP 1998) indicates that freshman share a considerably lesser concern for public than for personal objectives, a full 60% of them claim "helping others in difficulty" is important, and 74% of 1998 freshman did volunteer work in high school. These data suggest students, themselves, understand the importance of community service. While young people generally claim little interest in international political affairs (Mann 1999, 263), international understanding and experience is a priority for the potential employers of today's young people (Patterson 2000). According to one director with the global business consultancy Article 13, "Managers who are capable of getting the best out of a work force that's becoming increasingly diverse, and aware of the challenges that accompany [diversity], are in huge demand" (Sappal 2003).

A strong citizenry is essential for the health of democracy (Ehrlich 1999, 245), and serving in one's community is compelling training for democratic citizenship. Much of the public debate post-September 11 has focused on the importance of cultivating international understanding, despite the typical trend for students to eschew such efforts. But since educators and administrators are already convinced of the power of community service for students (Wilkinson 2002, Young 2003), wonderful opportunities exist for educators to combine goals of community service and international understanding. This article outlines a viable technique--partnering high school and university students through service learning.

Design of the International Service Learning Project

Though I'd not previously implemented service learning in my teaching, I was fortunate to receive a small state pass-through grant to design and implement the course "Gender and Global Politics" from the Corporation for National Service under the Learn and Serve America: Higher Education grant program. This organization (www.nationalservice.org) frequently pairs with state consortiums to provide pedagogical and financial resources for educators implementing service leaning in their teaching. The course was designed with several principles in mind. I...

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