“City Council Meetings Are Cool”: Increasing Student Civic Engagement Through Service Learning

Abstract

This article examines the growing body of literature on service learning as a pedagogical tool within political science. It also reports the results of a service learning experiment used in a course on State and Local Politics. Students completed service learning projects that combined community service, attendance at local political meetings (i.e., city council or school board meetings), and interviews with elected officials. The students reflected on their experiences through written papers, oral presentations, and an evaluation of the service learning experience. The vignettes presented in this article highlight the potential benefits of incorporating service learning into political science courses, including enhanced civic engagement and understanding of the policymaking process. Assessment of these learning outcomes was based on the content and quality of the written and oral presentations, student self-evaluations, and a pretest/posttest. The model used in this course is easy to adapt to any political science course, offering a useful tool to promote active learning outside the classroom experience.

Keywords:

• active learning
• civic engagement
• service learning
• state and local politics

Notes

Young women are more likely than men to volunteer in civic organizations; however, they have lower level of political knowledge and attentiveness to politics.There are slim difference in electrol engagement, as most college students—male or female—are minimally engaged in political activities(Jenkins 2005; Marcelo,Lopez, and Kirby 2007).