Span 301S: Service Learning In The Latino Community
This course is part of your Spanish language learning experience, and offers you the opportunity to interact in a personal way with members of the local Latino community, thereby enriching your understanding of Hispanic cultures and the Spanish language. As a community-based learning experience, the course provides students with career-related experience working collaboratively with community agencies to address community concerns / issues.
Instructor: Dr. Rafael Gomez
Instructor: Dr. Rafael Gomez
Course Narrative
This course offered us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the local Latino community and gain a deeper understanding of the culture and the problems it faces. As a resident of the area I thought I understood some of the most pressing issues we faced but this class offered me a new perspective on social justice.
This course fulfills Area D4: Upper Division Service Learning and requires the following outcomes:
I chose to do my service with Peacock Acres, a non-profit organization in Salinas, California. They are an organization that provides supportive housing, intense case management, and life coaching for foster children that have been separated from their families. With high character and resolve, youth are steered towards opportunities for healing and growth as they continue their journey toward a fulfilling, productive life.
The lessons I learned in class definitely affected service at Peacock Acres. Whenever I faced an issue with one of the students I would try to apply some of the reasoning I learned in class. One particular topic I chose to focus on thanks to this course was the use of Spanish among the Latino children at the agency. I found that children from very diverse immigrant backgrounds could speak Spanish but chose not to do so while interacting with their peers or the tutors. Another finding from my observations was the disproportionate ratio of volunteer tutors that could speak Spanish to the Spanish speaking youth enrolled in the course.
This course made me realize that social change is only possible through a cohesive community effort and the collective work of individuals.
This course fulfills Area D4: Upper Division Service Learning and requires the following outcomes:
- Self and Social Awareness: Students deepen their understanding and analysis of the social, cultural and civic aspects of their personal and professional identities. Define, describe, analyze and integrate the concepts of individual social and cultural group identities and the concepts of social privilege and marginalization. Demonstrate critical analysis of their own assumptions, values, and stereotypes, and evaluate the relative privilege and marginalization of their identities.
- Service and Social Responsibility: Students deepen their understanding of the social responsibility of professionals in their field or discipline, and analyze how their professional activities and knowledge can contribute to greater long-term societal well-being. Articulate the relationship between individual, group, community and societal well-being. Analyze how individual and professional actions contribute to short-term well being and/or greater long-term societal well-being. Develop a critical understanding of ethical behavior in the context of their profession or discipline with regard to issues of societal well-being.
- Community & Social Justice: Students evaluate how the actions of professionals and institutions in their field or discipline foster both equity and inequity in communities and society. Examine the demographics, socio-cultural dynamics and assets of a specific community through a social justice framework. Analyze a community issue(s) in the context of systemic inequity, discrimination and social injustice.
- Multicultural Community Building/Civic Engagement: Students learn from and work responsively and inclusively with diverse individuals, groups and organizations to build more just, equitable, and sustainable communities. Demonstrate intercultural communication skills, reciprocity and responsiveness in service work with community. Enter, participate in, and exit a community in ways that are sensitive to systemic injustice. Develop and implement personal, professional and institutional strategies, policies and/or practices that work towards creating greater equity and social justice in communities.
I chose to do my service with Peacock Acres, a non-profit organization in Salinas, California. They are an organization that provides supportive housing, intense case management, and life coaching for foster children that have been separated from their families. With high character and resolve, youth are steered towards opportunities for healing and growth as they continue their journey toward a fulfilling, productive life.
The lessons I learned in class definitely affected service at Peacock Acres. Whenever I faced an issue with one of the students I would try to apply some of the reasoning I learned in class. One particular topic I chose to focus on thanks to this course was the use of Spanish among the Latino children at the agency. I found that children from very diverse immigrant backgrounds could speak Spanish but chose not to do so while interacting with their peers or the tutors. Another finding from my observations was the disproportionate ratio of volunteer tutors that could speak Spanish to the Spanish speaking youth enrolled in the course.
This course made me realize that social change is only possible through a cohesive community effort and the collective work of individuals.
SPAN 301S Reflexión Final | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |