Theme: Ethic of Service
Assignment: Write your own Ethic of Service
Goal of Assignment:
An Ethic of Service includes the way an individual approaches community work, including his/her philosophy, motivations, and understanding of the intended outcome of the work. This assignment is a space for you to think critically about your own ethic of service and why you are involved in community work.
Assignment Overview:
A personal/critical narrative tells a story about your own experiences through the first person voice (use 'I' statements). A personal critical narrative, specific to Ethic of Service, should include how your individual personality, identity, life experience and/or areas of study shape the way you think about and do your community work. The first step to writing your Ethic of Service is to read the three resources listed below.
Required Resources:
Read the following resources BEFORE writing your reflection.
Social Change Wheel/Ways to Social Change
Leonard, Gavin. “Rethinking Volunteerism in America.” WireTap. Posted on February 9th, 2006, Printed on March 2, 2010.
LaNave, Kevin. “What Do You Mean by ‘Service’ and What Do You Want ‘Service’ to Mean?” The Center for Service-Learning and Social Change. May 31, 2006.
Your paper should respond to the following questions:
- What does “service” mean to you? Is that the word you use to describe your work? Why or why not? What other word(s) do you use?
- Why do you do the work you do? Why/how did you get started?
- How have your motivations to do community work changed over time? What has remained the same? Why has it changed or not? Please include details about at least one community work experience- past, present or future.
- How do you differentiate a meaningful “service” experience from a shallow experience?
- How does your vision of community work compare to the views of community work presented in the readings/resources? (Your response to this question should explicitly name at least one of the resources).
Think of the activities at the Workshop for New Scholars as your “prewriting” for this assignment. Your first draft should be 3 full pages minimum, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font.
Submission Process:
You should email your first draft to [email protected] with the subject line: Ethic of Service. Please also include your major and anticipated graduation year. You will receive a confirmation email asking you to schedule an appointment with an advisor. In the advising appointment, you will discuss your writing, go over your individual timeline for completing the program, learn to log hours, and plan out your community engaged coursework. You will be asked to revise your first draft based on your conversation. Your final draft is due one week from your appointment. AFTER you have met with an adviser, you should submit your final draft to your google drive folder.
