Health & Community: Service-Learning Rotation

Course # MEDS3050  |  3 Credit Hours 

Fall Semester  |  Spring Semester  |  Syllabus (PDF)

Course Directors: David Askew, PhD  |  Email: david.askew@uc.edu  |  Phone: 513-558-2395 and
Fran Larkin  |  Email: fran.larkin@uc.edu  |  UC Center for Community Engagement

This course provides a service-learning experience to students interested in health-related careers. Service-learning is a university and community-based partnership that integrates hands-on volunteer activity in the community with faculty-directed reflection, the goal of which is to enhance academic achievement and to help students develop a stronger sense of who they are and what they value. Students will work closely with the U.C. Center for Community Engagement to identify projects that will provide meaningful service to community organizations. Throughout the semester, students will conduct a needs assessment with the community partner, develop a service project proposal, implement the project aims, perform a critical analysis of the project outcome and present the findings to faculty and student peers. Students are expected to volunteer 4 hours per week per credit hour enrolled. This type of experience will improve student academic performance through the application of critical thinking skills, while simultaneously enhancing civic and ethical responsibility, cultural competency and career development.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the relevant community need from a national and local perspective
• Work with the community partner to establish a community service project proposal
• Work with the community partner to implement the project and perform a critical evaluation of the outcome
• Communicate the project (background, significance, aims, preliminary data and anticipated outcome) to an audience of faculty, community partners and peers in an oral presentation
• Describe how the project has enhanced personal knowledge and sensitivity to issues of cultural diversity and social justice in the community
• Describe how the project has fostered a critical self‐reflection of personal identity and sense of vocation

Prerequisite

Permission of one of the Course Directors.