Civic Action Through the Arts
Instructor: Jeff Donnelly
Class page
No Kid Hungry Team Page
One of the major parts of the Woodlawn Mission is to help students become "responsible, contributing members" of society. During service learning in 11th grade, students focus on the responsibilities of American citizens including participating in government, staying informed about local and national issues, and taking action to involve others for change.
The service learning class incorporates a civics element in which students learn about how local, state, and national governments work by following issues at each of those levels. Students understand more about the roles of non-profits, government agencies, lobbyists, special interest groups, and lawmakers by researching topics on many different levels.
Each trimester contains different requirements as we move to greater student independence and responsibility at the end of the year.
Trimester 1: CIVICS 101/CITIZENSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Students are introduced to the electoral process, and the processes of lawmaking and legislation at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Focusing in on a specific and relevant social, cultural, and/or political issue, we will research the government's potential role in tackling this cause and how individuals like us can spur our community and leaders to action on behalf of this problem.
Questions student must answer about causes they wish to pursue:
- Why is this particular cause a challenge/problem/issue facing citizens of this country?
- What actions can we (ordinary US citizens) take to combat this problem?
- How do we raise awareness in our community about this problem?
- How can we utilize the political process to combat this problem?
Throughout the trimester, students will study the impact of the arts, internet, and technology on our governmental processes, citizenship, and civic engagement. We will examine how best to harness these tools, and work toward creating public service announcements (trimester 2) to share with a large audience through television, radio, or online.
Civic Action students will also take the lead in the planning and execution of two service based arts events on campus. Students will be charged with establishing committees to organize the logistics of each event, and every student will be REQUIRED to attend at least one of these events in a service capacity.
Events:
- Dinner + Show @ The Lodge (November 15, 2013)
- Woodlawn Film Festival (January 31, 2014)
More details on specific duties to follow.
Resources:
North Carolina State Government Information
State Government Structure
General Assembly Bill Tracker
Politifact
Trimester 2: CITIZENSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE/FILM FESTIVAL
During the second trimester, the class will focus on steps to not only take action for a specific cause/organization, but to also motivate others to serve through utilization of digital media and other means. Students should follow PSA Guidelines.
Civic Action students will also take the lead in the planning and execution of the Woodlawn Film Festival on January 31. Students who did not
Trimester 3: CAPSTONE PROJECT PREPARATION
Interest Survey
Resource List
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.