SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT

OLP 450

 

Donna Trent, Ph.D.

Email: donnatrent@comcast.net

Phone: 941-349-9321

 

 

Goshen College Mission Statement and Core Values

 

The Mission of Goshen College

 

Goshen College is a four-year liberal-arts college dedicated to the development of informed, articulate, responsible Christians. As a ministry of the Mennonite Church, we seek to integrate Christian values with educational and professional life. As a community of faith and learning, we strive to foster personal, intellectual, spiritual, and social growth. We view education as a moral activity that produces servant leaders for the church and the world.

 

The Mission of Goshen College Division of Adult and External Studies

 

As an extension of the Goshen College mission, the Division of Adult and External Studies offers an educational experience designed for adult learners that reflects the distinctive standard of academic excellence within a supportive environment that characterizes Goshen College.

 

Goshen College Core Values

 

·       Christ-Centered: We believe God is the foundation of all wisdom and knowledge.  Through Christ we find merciful forgiveness and an invitation to a daily personal walk empowered by the Hoy Spirit.  We are led by Christ in our search for truth.

·       Passionate Learners: We believe our faith is supported by knowledge.  As a learning community, we foster a journey of lifelong learning, encouraging one another to seek truth with fervor. This spirit of academic excellence enriches our relationships, our world and our faith in Jesus Christ.

·       Servant Leaders: We believe that servant leadership is reflected perfectly in the life and person of Jesus Christ.  We humbly set aside self-interest for the interests of others, because love for others builds up God’s community in Christ.  By following Christ’s example, we create a culture characterized by joyful service.

·       Compassionate Peacemakers: As Christian peacemakers, we embrace “shalom”-the peace that God intends for humanity.  We are committed to walk humbly with god and build the ‘peaceable kingdom” by practicing loving kindness, restoring justice, practicing anti-racism, loving our enemies, listening to others and advocating for the dispossessed.  We renounce the oppressive, violent destructive powers of this world- and are willing to live our lives as examples of God’s peace.

·       Global Citizens: As responsible global citizens, we see, encourage and celebrate the image of God in others. We welcome and include the “stranger” in our midst-respecting differences in worldviews while seeking common ground. We wish to transcend barriers between people not only through academic teaching and learning, but also in meaningful cross-cultural exchanges.  We go into the world offering our gifts and lives in service to others.

 

 

 

 Module Description

 

4 credits 12 months – This project provides opportunity for students to integrate classroom theory on servant leadership with practical experience by identifying an opportunity to lead through service within an organizational setting—either the student’s workplace or a public benefit organization. Students work with a faculty mentor to structure the learning, coordinate with the cooperating organization, and assess the level and significance of their learning. The findings or outcomes of the project will be presented on the last two nights of the program schedule.

 

 

Learning Outcomes:

At the successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1.     delineate each of Goshen’s five core values

2.     discuss principles of  Servant Leadership

3.     discuss how Goshen’s five core values relate to the motto “Culture for Service”

4.     delineate the commonalities between “Culture for Service” and Servant Leadership

5.     explain how Goshen’s five core values relate to Servant Leadership Theory

6.     discuss how Goshen’s five core values informed the student’s practice of  Servant Leadership

7.     delineate the role of servant leadership in contemporary managerial practices

8.     assess one’s skills and abilities as a servant leader

9.     assess one’s contributions to Goshen’s “Culture of Service”

10.                        develop a plan for continual improvement in servant leadership skills and abilities

 

Texts and Materials

A Summary of United Nations Agreements on Human Rights (http://www.hrweb.org/egal/undocs.html)

Bible: John 13: 1-17, Mark 9:33-37, Mark 10:35-45, Luke 22:24-30, I Timothy 5:1-25, Matthew 18: 1-6, I Corinthians 9:19-23, II Corinthians 9:6-15..

Binard, Kris and Lynn H. Leavitt. 2000. Discovering Leadership through Service. Longmont, CO: Rocky Mountain Press.

Block, Peter. 1998.  “From Leadership to Citizenship.” in Larry C. Spears (ed.) Insights on Leadership. NY: John Wiley & Sons Co.  Pg. 87-95.

Bolino, Mark C., William Turnley, and James Bloodgood. 2002. “Citizenship Behavior and the Creation of Social Capital in Organizations.” Academy of Management Review. Vol. 27 (4):505-522.

Bordas, Juana. 1995. “Power and Passion: Finding Personal Purpose.” in Larry C. Spears.  Reflections on Leadership. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Pgs. 178-193.

Boulding, Elise. 2000. “Envisioning the Peaceable Kingdom.” In Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 129-134.

Chamberlain, Philip. 1995. “Team-Building and Servant-Leadership” in Larry C. Spears.  Reflections on Leadership. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Pgs. 169-178.

Deming, Barbara. 2000. “We Are All Part of One Another.”  in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 265-268.

Global Sullivan Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Text of the Global Sullivan Principles (http://www.mallenbaker.net.csr/CSRfiles/Sullivan.html)

Greenleaf, Robert. 1970. The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center.

Halterman, James. 2001. “A Mennonite Approach to Business Ethics.” in Spiritual Goods: Faith Traditions and the Practice of Business. Philosophy Documentation Center  (www.bgsu.edu/pdc). Pgs. 275-291.

Herman, Stewart W. 2001. “From the Truly Real to Spiritual Wisdom: Religious Perspectives on Business Practice.” in Spiritual Goods: Faith Traditions and the Practice of Business. Philosophy Documentation Center (www.bgsu.edu/pdc). Pgs. 17-29.

International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (http://www.ilo.org/dyn/declaris/DECLARATIONWEB)

Lopez, Isabel O. 1995. “Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Personal Development Path.” in Larry C. Spears.  Reflections on Leadership. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Pgs. 149-160.

McCollum, Jeffrey N. 2000. “The Inside-Out Proposition: Finding (and Keeping) Our Balance in Contemporary Organizations.” in Larry C. Spears (ed.) Insights on Leadership. NY: John Wiley & Sons. Pgs. 326-339.

Macy, Joanna. 2000. “Taking Heart: Spiritual Exercise from Social Activists” in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 135-142.

Nouwen, Henri J. 2000. “Saying No to Death.” in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 143-148.

Samuel, Dorothy. 200. “The Violence in Ourselves.” ” in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 240--243.

Wheatley, Margaret J. 2000. “What is Our Work?” in Larry C. Spears (ed.) Insights on Leadership. NY: John Wiley & Sons. Pgs. 339-351.

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr)

 

Service- Learning Project

What is of Service-Learning?

“The National and Community Service Act of 1990 defines service-learning with a set of four criteria:

A.                        Under which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet actual community needs and that are coordinated in collaboration with the school and community;

B.                         That is integrated into the students’ academic curriculum or provides structured time for a student to think, talk, or write about  what the student did and saw during the actual service activity;

C.                         That provides students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities; and

D.                        That enhances what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community and helps to foster the development of a sense of caring for others.” (Cohen, 1994:100).

Tim Stanton, director of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University, defines service learning as “A particular form of experiential education, one that emphasizes for students the accomplishment of tasks which meet human needs in combination with conscious educational growth” (Cohen, 1994:100).

Service-Learning is distinguished from volunteerism, internships, and action research. The service-learning project is distinct from volunteerism and other forms of field experiences in that a large component of the assignment involves the analysis of the service activities according to theoretical concepts and typologies presented within the course content, evaluation of the parsimony of models studied to provide an explanation of the circumstances encountered within the service activities, and a synthesis of the active service component with reflective, intellectual thought.

Work Cited

Cohen, Jeremy, 1994. “Matching University Mission with Service Motivation: Do the Accomplishments of Community Service Match the Claims?” Michigan Journal of Service Learning. Vol. 1(1):98-104.

 

Service-Learning Project and Goshen’s motto “Culture for Service”

Goshen College champions service-learning as a pedagogy that reinforces the institution’s commitment to Culture for Service and its five core values.

As you complete this required course at Goshen, you will be asked to reflect on Goshen’s five Core Values: Christ Centered,  Passionate Learners, Servant Leaders, Compassionate Peacemakers and Global Citizens as they inform the meaning of Goshen’s motto “Culture for Service” and how you, as a member of the Goshen community, can adhere to this motto in your educational, professional, and social pursuits. The course thus focuses on the development of your knowledge of Servant Leadership Theory and your skills in promoting a Culture for Service as these are informed by Goshen’s core values.

The foundation of this course is a service-learning project of a minimum of forty (40) hours spread over the course of one year.  The readings and written assignments are geared to assist you in making sense of these experiences in terms of Servant Leadership Theory as this is informed by the motto and core values of Goshen.

The course project will include a minimum of forty (40) hours service at either a non-profit organization or the student’s employing organization, 2 journals, an analytical paper, a reflective paper, and a final oral presentation. Each of these is described in detail under the weeks due.

 

Assignments

 

Prior to First Class

Read: Greenleaf’s The Servant as Leader, Binard and Leavitt, Discovering Leadership through Service (entire book)

Write: In section one of Binard and Leavitt text, complete all exercises, including the Vision Exercise, Change Exercise, Experiential Exercises 1 and 2, Leadership Project # 1, Leadership Assignment #1.

In section two of Binard and Leavitt text, complete the following exercises:  Service-Learning Discussion Questions and Experiential Exercise, Logistical Questions, Step One of Organizing Your Service Project, and Set Learning Goals Exercise #1.  For Step one of Organizing Your Service Project, you are to think of 3-5 different organizations you would like to consider for your service-learning placement. You are NOT to contact them at this point. For Set Learning Goals Exercise #1, you are to contemplate what you would like to learn and better understand about servant leadership and a culture of service as well as what leadership skills you would like to enhance. Responses to all exercises will be used in discussion during class one.

Deliverables Due at First Class:

 

Complete exercises from Binard and Leavitt text. These may be done within the text itself. The text will be returned to you prior to the end of the first class.

 

Prior to Class Two  

Read:        

Christ-centeredness readings

Bible: John 13: 1-17, Mark 9:33-37, Mark 10:35-45, Luke 22:24-30, I Timothy 5:1-25, Matthew 18: 1-6, I Corinthians 9:19-23, II Corinthians 9:6-15..

Halterman, James. 2001. “A Mennonite Approach to Business Ethics.” in Spiritual Goods: Faith Traditions and the Practice of Business. Philosophy Documentation Center  (www.bgsu.edu/pdc). Pgs. 275-291.

Herman, Stewart W. 2001. “From the Truly Real to Spiritual Wisdom: Religious Perspectives on Business Practice.” in Spiritual Goods: Faith Traditions and the Practice of Business. Philosophy Documentation Center  (www.bgsu.edu/pdc). Pgs. 17-29.

 

Servant Leadership Readings:

Lopez, Isabel O. 1995. “Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Personal Development Path.” in Larry C. Spears.  Reflections on Leadership. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Pgs. 149-160.

Chamberlain, Philip. 1995. “Team-Building and Servant-Leadership” in Larry C. Spears.  Reflections on Leadership. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Pgs. 169-178.

Passionate Learner Readings:

Bordas, Juana. 1995. “Power and Passion: Finding Personal Purpose.” in  Larry C. Spears.  Reflections on Leadership. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Pgs. 178-193.

McCollum, Jeffrey N. 2000. “The Inside-Out Proposition: Finding (and Keeping) Our Balance in Contemporary Organizations.” in Larry C. Spears (ed.) Insights on Leadership. NY: John Wiley & Sons. Pgs. 326-339.

Wheatley, Margaret J. 2000. “What is Our Work?” in Larry C. Spears (ed.) Insights on Leadership. NY: John Wiley & Sons. Pgs. 339-351.

Do: Organize Your Service Project. Complete Organizing Your Service Project on pages 31-32 of Binard and Leavitt text.

Write: Final Draft of Set Learning Goals on Page 33 of Binard and Leavitt text.

First Journal: consult pages 46-50 in the Binard and Leavitt text for guidelines on the journal. You should write journal entries after every visit to your service-learning site. This journal section should deal with the values of Christ-centered, passionate learners, and servant leaders.. Please engage with the readings assigned in this section to assist you in understanding these three values and the concepts and behaviors associated with these values within the context of your service-learning placement as well as within a larger societal arena.

Deliverables Due at Second Class:

Completed Service-Learning Agreement (Page 55 of Binard and Leavitt text)

Completed General Risk Release Form (Pages 63-64 of Binard and Leavitt text)

Final Draft of Learning Goals (Page 33 of Binard and Leavitt text)

 

Prior to Class Three

Read:

Compassionate Peacemaker Readings:

Boulding, Elise. 2000. “Envisioning the Peaceable Kingdom.” In Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 129-134.

 Macy, Joanna. 2000. “Taking Heart: Spiritual Exercise from Social Activists” in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 135-142.

Nouwen, Henri J. 2000. “Saying No to Death.” in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 143-148.

Samuel, Dorothy. 200. “The Violence in Ourselves.” ” in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 240--243.

Deming, Barbara. 2000. “We Are All Part of One Another.”  in Walter Wink (ed.) Peace is the Way. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books., Pgs. 265-268.

Global Citizen Readings:

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr)

A Summary of United Nations Agreements on Human Rights (http://www.hrweb.org/egal/undocs.html)

International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (http://www.ilo.org/dyn/declaris/DECLARATIONWEB)

The Global Sullivan Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Text of the Global Sullivan Principles (http://www.mallenbaker.net.csr/CSRfiles/Sullivan.html)

Block, Peter. 1998.  “From Leadership to Citizenship.” in Larry C. Spears (ed.) Insights on Leadership. NY: John Wiley & Sons Co.  Pg. 87-95.

Bolino, Mark C., William Turnley, and James Bloodgood. 2002. “Citizenship Behavior and the Creation of Social Capital in Organizations.” Academy of Management Review. Vol. 27 (4):505-522.

 

Write:

Begin your Service-Learning Time Sheet (see Page 65 of Binard & Leavitt).

 Second Journal. Please review guidelines for this assignment under Assignment Two, Journal One. Review guidelines for this assignment under Assignment Two, First Journal. This journal section should deal with the values of compassionate peacemakers and global citizens. Please engage with the readings assigned in this section to assist you in understanding the role of compassionate peacemakers and global citizens as well as the concepts and behaviors associated with these values within the context of your service-learning placement as well as within a larger societal arena.

Deliverables for third class: Second Journal

 

Prior to Class 4

Do: Have your supervisor complete the Supervisor Evaluation of Service-Learner (Pages 57-58 of Binard and Leavitt text)

Prepare Final Oral Presentation

Each presentation should be approximately 30 minutes with an additional 10 minutes for questions and dialogue with participants. The presentation should cover the main points in the analytical paper. It must include at least one visual element (power point presentation, storyboard, video, etc.)  You will be graded on content, delivery, and voice

Write: Complete the Student Evaluation of Service-Learning (see pages 59-61 in Binard & Leavitt).

Complete Service-Learning Time Sheet (Page 65 of Binard and Leavitt text)

Complete the Student Service-Learning Questionnaire in Binard and Leavitt (Page 67-69 of Binard and Leavitt text).

Deliverables due for fourth class:

 

1. Completed Supervisor Evaluation of Service-Learner

2. Completed Student Evaluation of Service-Learning

3. Completed Service-Learning Time Sheet

4. Completed Service-Learning Questionnaire

 

5. Analytical Paper: This paper should delineate your understanding of the role of culture for service and servant leadership within contemporary organizational settings. Considering situations and experiences from this service-learning project, discuss the extent to which you think that the practice, or lack thereof, of Goshen’s four core values of Christ-centered, passionate learners, compassionate peacemakers, and global citizens in these situations impacted the manifestation of a culture for service in the organization in which you served.  Then delineate how you think these four values and a culture for service can be applied within contemporary organizations, both for profit and non-profit. The analytical section should NOT be a description of what you did. Rather, your experiences recorded in your two journals should serve as “data” to be analyzed for a more comprehensive understanding of the appropriate role of these values and culture within organizations. Please use the assigned readings to augment your analysis of this service-learning experience. This paper should be between 10-12 pages in length.

6. Reflection Paper: This paper should be your making sense of how participation in this service project further informed your assessment of and understanding of your role as a servant-leader and a member of Goshen’s Culture for Service. Your journal entries should provide material for your consideration. This paper encompasses three components. First, delineate what you have found to be your strengths and weaknesses as a servant-leader and in the practice of the four core values. Second, include a section on your plan for strengthening your identified weaknesses and maintaining/enhancing the identified strengths. Third, write a section where you address your perceived responsibilities as a servant-leader within a broader context. That is, after engaging in this course, what do you assess your responsibilities to your local community and wider society (both nationally and globally) to be? This paper should be between 12-15 pages.

7. Final Oral Presentations

 

Prior to Class Five

No assignments

Final Oral Presentations will be completed in Class 5

Assessment

Your grade in this course will be determined as follows:

Journals (2 @ 10% each)                                             20%

Analytical Paper                                                  25%

Reflective Paper                                                  25% 

Final Oral Presentation                                                30%

 

Grading Policy:

 

For this program, Goshen College uses a standard (letter) grading system. Pluses and minuses are not recorded on official transcripts.

 

     A  Highest quality passing work (4.00 grade points)      

     B  Second quality passing work (3.00 grade points)

     C  Third quality passing work (2.00 grade points)

     D  Fourth quality passing work (1.00 grade point)

     F  Not passing, failing (0.00 grade points)

     I   Incomplete (temporary grade)

 

A cumulative grade point average (GPA) is posted on the student's record with the summaries for each term.  The basis of calculation is A=4.00 grade points, B=3.00 grade points, C=2.00 grade points, D=1.00 grade point, F=0.00 grade points (CR and NC not included).  For graduation, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 is required from Goshen College courses.

 

Plagiarism

 

According to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (seventh edition), to plagiarize means "to steal and pass off as one's own [the idea or words of another]."  Plagiarism thus includes not only the conscious use of a sequence of words, composed by another writer without giving recognition to the source, but also the condensation or paraphrase of someone else's ideas without such recognition.  Electronic plagiarism is also possible, whereby one might pass off web-based material as one's own.

The Goshen College Catalog contains the following graduated scale of penalties for plagiarism, listed in order of increasing severity: (1) Redoing the assignment; (2) Lowering the assignment grade permanently;  (3) No grade or credit for the assignment;  (4) Lowering of course grade;  (5) Failure for the course; or  (6) Suspension for a period up to one semester. 

 

Attendance Policy:

 

Due to the concentrated scheduling and the emphasis upon participatory learning, students are expected to attend class every week.  Both absence and tardiness constitute breaches of the attendance policy. A tardy is defined as missing more than 120 minutes of a class period. Two tardies constitute one absence. Absence due to illness or other emergency situations must be made up through activities required by the faculty member in that module or the program director.  Please notify the DAES office and your instructor, if possible, if an emergency arises preventing you from attending class. If you know that you need to miss a class, please contact the instructor in advance.