Two Service Learning Writing Assignments in a Political Science Course
Professor Kathy Cramer - Political Science 425
This service-learning course requires students to volunteer with a community-based organization. The writing assignments, which include journals, an argument paper, and a citizenship autobiography, are sequenced to help students synthesize their in- and out-of-class experiences with their understanding of citizenship.
Political Science 425: Citizenship, Democracy, and Difference
First paper assignment
The first paper assignment is to craft an argument in response to the following question: How is the work that people are doing in your organization related to politics? You could answer this in a wide variety of ways. Allow yourself to be creative in how you choose to do so.
Here are some possible themes you might pursue to write this paper:
- Where does the organization get its funding? What levels of government provide funding and what do the employees and volunteers at this organization have to do to secure this funding?
- What are the public problems that the organization is trying to address? Would they be better addressed through new legislation? Through government providing services the organization currently provides? Why or why not?
- How does participating in the programs the organization provides affect how the clients of the organization view themselves as citizens? How does it affect how they view their relationship to government and public officials? Does it increase or decrease the likelihood that people will participate in politics in the future?
To write this paper, you should draw upon what you have learned from our course readings and class sessions, as well as the observations and reflections you record in your journals. That is, I want you to reference class readings as well as your experience in your service work. It is acceptable—in fact, recommended—that you explicitly talk about your own personal observations of your organization in your paper. Aim for informed observations rather than mere anecdotes. You can write in the first person. In addition, you should actively gather information from your organization by doing such things as attending staff or board meetings and interviewing members of the administrative staff and clients of the organization. It may also be useful for you to do research on the background of the organization through searching the archives of local papers online or through the Lexis/Nexis database available through the UW Library homepage. I also strongly encourage you to do additional background research on topics related to your argument, such as research on the public problem that your organization is facing.
The paper should be 9-11 pages in length of double-spaced, 10 or 12 point type, using reasonable margins. The pages should be numbered and stapled. You may use any standard form of citation. Whichever style you choose (e.g., APA, Chicago), you should use both in-text parenthetical references as well as a reference list. For a useful guide on proper methods of citing sources, see the UW Writing Center web page “FAQs About Documenting Sources” (http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Documentation.html).
Second paper assignment
For the second paper, you will write a citizenship autobiography. The question you will address is, What does it mean to me to be a good citizen? You are to revisit your first journal entry in which you described what it means to be a good citizen (see this assignment under the first day of class in the Calendar below), and then in detail explain how your understanding of citizenship has changed (or not) across the course of the semester in response to your service activity, the assigned readings, our class sessions, and your journal work. I want you to aim for a clear conception of citizenship—do not just state that conceptions of citizenship vary widely and that the proper definition depends on the individual. This paper is your chance to clarify what good citizenship means TO YOU. To formulate your argument, think about these questions: How has this class changed you, if at all? How do you view your role as a citizen? What does service learning mean for your understanding of democratic citizenship? How have the experiences of this semester helped you to understand what citizenship means today? This paper should also be 9-11 pages in length of double-spaced, 10 or 12 point type, using reasonable margins, stapled with pages numbered.
