UNC Chapel Hill: APPLES Service-Learning Program: For Students

Service-Learning Courses
Fall 2008 Courses

AMST 259 (Section 001) “Tobacco and America”
Timothy Marr marr@email.unc.edu

This interdisciplinary APPLES course examines a plant of great local importance to focus on changing histories of land use, social style, leisure, marketing, public health, and global capitalism. We will explore different cultures of tobacco in America ranging from traditional Native American ceremony, to the economy of the South, up to recent battles in the courts. Please note that the central learning in this course will emerge from an engaged long-term service project with a community institution addressing key tobacco-related issues in North Carolina today.

UNITAS is the first of a two-semester course that explores issues of social and cultural diversity including class, gender, race, religion, sexuality, and ethnicity. This is a unique living and learning program that creates a first-hand diversity experience.

In Performance and Social Change, a joint Duke-UNC course, we will delve into the foundations of Boal’s ideology and philosophy of what we will coin “liberatory” theater or theater for social change. Through in-class physical and vocal exercises, discussion, on-line discussion and journal exchange, we will gain a foundational knowledge of Boal’s work and examine how Freire and Boal challenged the ethical framework of the dominant Brazilian culture of their time.

This course integrates theoretical perspectives on social movements, grassroots advocacy, and participatory democracy with practical, hands-on opportunities for engagement in public life. Drawing from a variety of perspectives within the discipline of communication studies, this course will explore the relationships between advocacy and service, and discuss how advocacy serves community interests and enriches participation in the public sphere.

In this course, we will be working in service, learning, and collaborative performance relationship with members of a local African-American church to explore their histories. We will pursue understanding the nature and power of the church as a site of community by seeding an education in service, deep listening and re-telling, and enthnographic participation.

Nearly one in seven Americans has a significant disability; should they be exceptions? Through readings, guest lectures, videos, and projects we will explore the legal, moral, cultural, and technical issues and opportunities raised by this "minority you can join at any time". We will focus on ways that computer technology can be used to mitigate the effects of disabilities and the sometimes surprising response of those we intended to help. We will work together with teachers, experts and individuals with disabilities to develop ideas and content for new enabling technologies. Previous computer experience is helpful but not required; creativity, ability to think "outside the box", and the desire to make the world a bit better are more important.

COMP 523 (Section 001) "Software Engineering Laboratory"
Diane Pozefsky
Prerequisite, COMP 410 and 411. In this course teams of 3-4 students develop of computer applications for organizations on campus and in the community. Teams work with the outside organization to understand the needs and the people who will be using the program. Prior projects have ranged from a Twister-like game to teach Braille to visually impaired children to tools to help low-income housing units deploy wireless networks.

EDUC 467 (Section 001) "Middle Grades Education"
Suzanne Gulledge sgulledg@email.unc.edu
The goal of this course is to engage prospective middle grades (6-9) teachers who have been admitted to the School of Education in service-learning field experiences in area middle schools.

EDUC 601 (Section 001) "Service-Learning for Educators"
Heather Coffey hcoffey@email.unc.edu

This is a required course for the junior Teaching Fellows. I hope students will learn more about the community in which they live and serve. Students will also learn to be reflective and understand the social context of their partnership with the community agency.

ENST 205 (Section 001) "Environmental Practicum: Sustainable Practices"
Kathleen Gray
In Environmental Practicum: Sustainable Practices, students will explore the key dimensions of sustainability (environment, economy and social equity) in real world settings. By supporting the efforts of businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations to create a more sustainable society, students will gain an understanding of the interplay among these dimensions as well as practical limitations.

GEOG 452 (Section 001) "Mobilizing Geographies"
Altha Cravey
This course explores the contemporary experience of migrants. Various theoretical approaches are introduced, with the emphasis on a political economic approach. This course fulfills a College of Arts and Science Social Science requirement.

JOMC 232 (Section 001, 002, 003, 004) “Public Relations Writing”
JOMC 232 covers major communicative tools of the public relations trade including news releases, features, speeches, pitch letters, fact sheets, public service announcements, and more.

Prerequisite, JOMC 153. Comprehensive study of the community press, including policies, procedures, and issues surrounding the production of smaller newspapers within the context of the community in its social and civic setting.

JOMC 491 (Section 005) “Connections: Global Service-Learning and Local Applications”
This seminar purposefully links students' global service-learning experience to concerns faced by immigrants and refugees, locally, in North Carolina. Primary among these concerns are education and English language learning, health and access to health care services, and social/economic concerns. This course is open only to students who have just returned from participating in an APPLES Global Service-Learning Program. One course credit is offered for participation in the seminar which includes a minimum of 30 hours of local service in the community.

MUSC 269 (Section 001) “Music in the Community”
David Garcia
Music in the Community satisfies the university’s requirement in Experiential Education (Connections Course) by connecting academic inquiry in community music (see Class Schedule below) with an experiential project in the making, organization, or documentation of music locally. Students will be required to engage in one of three possible types of experiential projects, and to assimilate her/his work with published material relevant to the project.

POLI 206H (142) “Ethics, Morality, Liberty and the Law”
Donna LeFebvre
This course introduces students to moral and ethical issues that arise when individual rights conflict with the law and the central role race plays in American society's response.

Building upon material presented in General Psychology, which is a prerequisite for this course, PSYC 250 provides students with an overview of the major themes of child development. Our aim is to introduce the empirical findings, theories, and research methods of child development, placing particular emphasis on the child's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development from infancy through adolescence.

ROML 060 (Section 001) “Spanish & Entrepreneurship: Languages, Cultures, and North Carolina Communities"
Darcy Lear
How can social service agencies in North Carolina communities be made sustainable through the application of entrepreneurial principles? To answer that question, we will study the theory and practice of social entrepreneurship--a process of opportunity recognition, resource gathering, and value creation that can bring sustainability to a social mission. Using the critical thinking skills emphasized in the course, students will identify issues of social justice in North Carolina Latino communities and learn pertinent business skills that can help sustain endeavors to address those community problems.

This is course examines human rights in the broad sense of the term, including socioeconomic, cultural and environmental rights, along with comparing involving liberalism and communitarianism. This course is required for Social and Economic Justice minors. This course fulfills a General College Social Science requirement.

SOCI 423 (Section 001) “Sociology of Education”
Karolyn Tyson kdtyson@email.unc.edu
An overview of theory and research on education and schooling, with an emphasis on inequalities in educational opportunities, education as a social institution, and the changing context of schools and schooling. This course fulfills a College of Arts and Science Social Science requirement.

SOWO 490 (Section 001) "Public Service and Social Change"
Marcie Fisher-Bourne fisherm@email.unc.edu

This course examines the role of volunteer involvement and citizen participation in community development, grassroots organizing, advocacy and other efforts to create a more just and democratic society.

SPAN 204 (Section 010) “Intermediate Spanish”
Bill Maisch maisch@unc.edu
Emphasis in this course is placed on increasing the scope of communication and mastering linguistic accuracy in all the skills while serving the Local Hispanic Community. For their community service, students will receive an extra one hour for SPAN 293.

Students will learn vocabulary and grammar related to business settings, as well as develop written and oral skills in Spanish. For their community service, students will receive an extra one hour for SPAN 293.

SPAN 321 (Section 001) “Spanish for Health Care”
Elizabeth Bruno
This course is designed to integrate further language study within a healthcare focus. Throughout the course students will learn Medical terminology, discuss healthcare related scenarios and learn about cultural differences that can effect medical treatment. Students will serve in local organizations serving Spanish-speaking people.

SPCL 390 (Section 006) “Peer Tutoring”
Christina Perry
The peer tutoring program offers successful students, with a gpa of 3.0 or better, the chance to serve their fellow students through tutoring in one or more subjects. Interested students must apply to the program the semester prior to that in which they will tutor.

To obtain contact information for the current Courses Chair, please refer to the APPLES' Organizers directory.