Graduate Service-Learning

Service-learning is not just for undergraduates! Each year, UGA offers over 120 course sections incorporating service-learning at the graduate or professional level, reaching over 500 graduate students and over 1100 professional students.

Additionally, three courses have been developed with the Graduate School (GRSC 7870S, GRSC 7880S, and GRSC 7970S, below), as well as a Graduate Portfolio in Community Engagement, to support graduate students in service-learning and community-engaged work.

UGA is also involved with developing non-credit online courses for STEM-discipline graduate students across the US, through the CIRTL network.

GRSC 7870S: Service-Learning Course Design

Graduate students interested in service-learning instruction may take GRSC 7870S, “Service-Learning Course Design,” offered by the OSL in conjunction with the Graduate School and the Center for Teaching & Learning.

This interdisciplinary course gives graduate students a foundation in theory and practice of integrating academic service-learning into course design and instruction. Students will learn best practices for service-learning course design, working with community partners, assessment, reflection, and logistics, and will take part in a service-learning activity. GRSC 7770 is a prerequisite.

This course may be helpful for graduate students interested in preparing a Community Engagement Portfolio.

For more details, search for the CAPA course description.

This course is generally taught each Spring semester. Contact Dr. Paul Matthews for details.

GRSC 7970S: Approaches to Community Engagement

Graduate students interested in community engagement theory, methodology and ethics may take GRSC 7970S, “Approaches to Community Engagement,” offered in conjunction with the Graduate School. This interdisciplinary course gives graduate students a foundation in engagement, including understanding of the university’s land- and sea-grant missions, tenets of engaged scholarship, theory, methodology and ethics of engagement in higher education, and more.

This course may be helpful for graduate students interested in preparing a Community Engagement Portfolio.

For more details, search for the CAPA course description.

This course is generally offered Fall semester. Contact Dr. Paul Brooks (associate vice president for public service & outreach) for more information.

GRSC 7880S: Community-Engaged Research Methods

GRSC 7880S, Community-Engaged Research Methods, was first offered in 2017. In this course, students:

•  Gain grounding in the philosophy and best practices for community-engaged research

•  Understand the tenets of engaged scholarship

•  Understand a range of methodologies used in community-engaged research in different disciplines (e.g., Community-Based Participatory Research)

•  Investigate options for discipline-specific application of community-engaged research

•  Read and evaluate community-engaged research in relevant disciplinary settings

•  Take part in a community-based research project that benefits a community partner and puts into practice at a deep level one particular methodological approach