What is diversity? How does diversity affect our lives and our service? How does our perception of diversity affect our ability to be successfully engaged in society and to successfully engage society? The purpose of this course is to cultivate a better understanding of diversity, through classroom lectures and community service, that propel students to be more successful public servants.
This one credit-hour class will provide students with an opportunity to learn through service. Each student will be required to serve 50 hours over the course of the semester in the nonprofit or public sector agency of their choice (prior service hours or service experiences connected to other class work may not be used to meet this requirement). Students will use the software platform GivePulse to track and authenticate hours. The class period will largely consist of lectures presented by graduate faculty members from the LBJ School of Public Affairs; other UT faculty members and non-profit organizations will offer their expertise as well. The course will highlight issues in the nonprofit sector and the role of the sector in facilitating diversity and inclusiveness. Students will be expected to complete assignments and reflections in preparation for class session and to verify service hours through documentation. Priority enrollment will be given to students participating in the UT Service Scholars Program. All students signed up for the course will also be given the opportunity to participate in Service Scholar events.
See syllabus for more information.
Class meets once each month for 3 hours. The first class is on 8/30 and the last class is on 12/6/2013.