The Take Action Project (TAP) is an opportunity to relate your project to your understanding of at least one (or more) of the course themes — spirituality/religion, social justice, sustainability/science, and women’s issues.
“What is Service-Learning?” This is Step 1 of the Take Action Project process.
Remember, as the TAP instructions indicate in Week 7, academic credit will be awarded for the learning (reflection and critical thinking about how the project relates to course concepts) that you gain from the experience, not for the service itself. Service learning, for purposes of this course, is a way to take action in the world — to serve and to learn through that service. However, identifying a plan for the service part of the project is important in this part of the process.
The National Center for Service-Learning defines service-learning through three key characteristics:
Service-learning constitutes activity that is focused on meeting a human need in the community where that need has to do with the well-being of individuals and/or of the environment in which they live.
Key academic and/or civic objectives to be achieved through combining service with learning have been identified prior to the activity.
Opportunities for students to reflect on their experience and its connection to specific academic/civic objectives are incorporated into the activity.
Please discuss your ideas about a proposal for one to three TAP project possibilities. Your mission is to propose a service-learning project that interests you and to reflect on the following questions in your post.
The Take-Action Project that I’m interested in exploring is …
How does this project relate to content in this course? What specific theme or themes are reflected in the project you propose? Which of the four general categories of service (direct service learning, indirect service learning, *research-based service learning, and *advocacy service learning) most interests you? Which of the categories applies to your preliminary project idea?
If appropriate to your project: What is the mission of your service site? What services are provided or what needs will be addressed through your project? Why do these needs exist in your community?
What do you hope to learn from your project?
What are you perhaps nervous or enthusiastic about?
• It is probable that your project will reflect at least one academic, professional, or personal goal that is important to you.
• Your project will be evidence of you contributing to a group or a community in a meaningful way.
• You will demonstrate understanding of how your service project connects to one or more of the course themes.
• You will gain experience in examining your assumptions at the beginning of your project and will reflect on whether or not your experience altered those assumptions.
• You will research the topic that is related to your project and service and you’ll use evidence from that research to support any conclusions or inferences that you make at the end of your service project.
• It is probable that you’ll employ creative thinking about many elements in connection with your project.
This is Step 2 of the TAP process. Now that you’ve narrowed your focus to one particular project that interests you, you’ll conduct some preliminary research on your topic and submit a proposal on that project. Upload your proposal to dropbox BX3 titled “TAP proposal.”
In this proposal, your goal is to move from a broad concept to a more specific focus. In doing that you’ll revisit some of the same questions you reflected on in Step 1, but you’ll be more focused in your responses. (If you accelerated and accomplished a specific focus in Step 1, then you’ll have done the majority of the preparation for this assignment.)
Address the following in your proposal:
Identify your project and discuss how it specifically relates to content in this course.
Identify the problem that your project or service contribution seeks to impact. Revisit your responses to questions for the “First Impressions” discussion board topic. Include a summary paragraph of those responses and if your thinking on any of the questions has changed, then let your summary reflect your freshest thoughts and don’t feel limited to your earlier responses.
Conduct preliminary research on your specific project. Most social justice issues are complex. What does your research tell you about the complexity of the problem? In your proposal, discuss what you’ve learned from that research. Include at least two sources of information that are relevant to your project. [Note: In your final report, you’ll include a minimum of two references from course materials and a minimum of three additional resources that are from course materials or other sources related to your project.]
What coordination or specific practical steps do you need to take to complete your project? Discuss specific times and dates that you have outlined to move forward for successful completion of your project.
What, if any, concerns (or questions) do you have about your project? Discuss these concerns in your proposal. Be specific about the concern and then, if appropriate, be specific in brainstorming possible solutions for the concern. For example: If your concern is scheduling time for your project, then state that but also state possible ways that you might make it work. If your concern is not being confident in how to do research on your topic, then state that concern and discuss your specific understanding of how to do that research and any specific questions that you have.
The Take Action Project (TAP) provides an opportunity for you to combine theoretical studies in this course and community service.
Here’s a summary of those steps:
You’ll propose a possible idea or ideas for a project.
You’ll narrow your proposal to one idea and conduct preliminary research on it .
You’ll discuss either your expectations or experiences or both as you move toward completion of your project.
After completion of your project, you’ll write about your insights in connection with your project and how your project was connected to concepts studied in this course.
