Social Concerns Seminar:
Youth, Risk, and Resilience Seminar
Learning Agreement
Course Objectives
- To provide opportunities for participants to examine the social contexts of children's issues and related policy matters through contact with agencies, schools, and related organizations.
- To expose participants to the realities of living in an at-risk environment through community-based learning, namely observation and interaction with leaders in these communities.
- To provide the opportunity for students to reflect upon how their own vocations might include issues of low-income communities and/or working with youth, through discussion and encountering others who have chosen such professional avenues.
Course Requirements
This seminar is a one-credit, graded psychology course. To receive a passing grade, the following must be completed in a satisfactory manner. All requirements are to be completed during the spring semester.
- Participants must attend and actively participate in all required orientation and follow-up classes. This includes doing all required readings prior to class and coming to class prepared with comments and questions. Participants must obtain prior permission for an absence from the instructors.
- Participants must attend the class viewing of the education documentary and take appropriate notes on the films.
- Participants are encouraged to work together to promote community-building activities prior to and during the immersion in NYC. One way to do this is through participation in the Youth, Risk & Resiliency Blog, which is required by all students.
- Participants must be present during the immersion trip in NYC, and be actively engaged during all scheduled meetings with organizations. They must also actively participate in reflection sessions each night of the trip, where we will discuss the day’s activities.
- Each student will be responsible for preparing a short presentation for 2-3 assigned organizations. The presentation will be given to the group the night before our scheduled visit with that organization, after that day’s reflection has completed (i.e., scheduled visit is on Tuesday, the presentation will be given on Monday night after reflection). At least three questions should also be prepared for the representatives of these organizations.
- Participants are required to write a 4–5 page integration paper as part of the learning experience.
Withdrawal from Course:
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Please notify Jay Brandenberger, seminar director, and Debbie Blasko, seminar assistant, if extenuating circumstances prevent your participation in the Seminar. To withdraw from this course, an Academic Course change form (obtained from the Center for Social Concerns), must be completed and signed by the seminar director.
