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Overview

ENVS 300 provides students opportunities to deepen their understanding of contemporary socioecological problems and issues through educationally meaningful and community-based service learning. Service learning is a work-integrated learning opportunity organized around a student’s engagement in community service, and it combines theory, practice, and reflection as tools to broaden a student’s knowledge and critical thinking skills for social change. Learning activities must be organized around educationally meaningful forms of service that address a particular need identified by the community organization, as well as personal educational goals identified by the student. Students reflect on this service experience in relation to topics or subject matter from their readings, as well as the student’s own changing perceptions and understandings of community needs and civic responsibilities. Community-based service learning projects are chosen in consultation with a project supervisor.

Outline

ENVS 300 is divided into three units:

Unit 1: Course Overview

Unit 2: Commitments and Project Plan

Unit 3: Executing Your Service Learning Project Plan and Final Steps

Learning outcomes

On completion of ENVS 300, successful students will

• demonstrate a deeper understanding of civic responsibility and the importance of active participation in their communities;
• analyze complex social issues and develop creative solutions;
• work effectively with diverse populations, understanding different perspectives and experiences;
• apply theoretical knowledge from their coursework to real-world situations, enhancing their academic learning;
• engage in self-reflection, leading to greater self-awareness and personal development;
• navigate and engage with various community settings, understanding local resources, networks, and dynamics; and
• develop and execute a project plan.

Evaluation

To receive  for ENVS 300, students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 40 hours of community service activity and all the learning activities listed in their ENVS 300 learning contract to the level (qualities) agreed upon by their project supervisor. 

The learning activities are written up in an ENVS 300 learning contract that must include

• the personal course learning goals for the student;
• the theoretical learning the student will undertake (e.g., a literature review, slide presentation, or annotated bibliography);
• the scope of the community service;
• how the student will demonstrate the connections between the theoretical learning and their community service (e.g., a series of self-reflections on aspects of the experience, a research paper, or a blog/vlog journal);
• one self-reflection of your experience in the entire course; and
• a timeline for completing the various tasks in the learning contract.

This is a pass/fail course.

Note: Tutor approval is required before a student can register in this course. To receive tutor approval, students should email the tutor, outlining the service learning they hope to undertake and the name and contact information of a likely supervising professor. Possible project supervisors might include a professor who you have already worked with in another course or one of the СÓÅÊÓƵ professors who undertake environmental research. Special cases can be made for supervising professors for ENVS 300 who do not work at СÓÅÊÓƵ with good justification and the permission of the ENVS 300 tutor.

Materials

This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.

All course materials can be found online.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To challenge ENVS 300, students must create a portfolio of evidence of their community service work, undertake theoretical learning, and demonstrate how their theoretical readings connect to their community service activities/practical experience through an annotated bibliography and essay. Challenge for credit course registration form

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services at СÓÅÊÓƵ