Educating for Democracy: Developing Students' Political Skills, Knowledge, and Dispositions through Service-Learning

 

Thomas Ehrlich & Rick Battistoni – Campus Compact

 

September 10, 2008

 

Service-learning courses—including those supported by Learn and Serve America and thus prohibited from supporting partisan events and advocacy—can contribute a great deal to the health of our democracy by deliberately engaging students in ways that develop their political skills, knowledge, and dispositions. At the heart of service-learning (and higher education more generally) is the imperative of open inquiry. The presenters shared key findings from the Carnegie Foundation's Political Engagement Project, specific examples of activities that can be incorporated into service-learning courses without violating CNCS regulations, and suggestions and resources related to developing faculty members' capacity to facilitate such activities.