Service-learning, Intercultural Competence, and Layers of Understanding
Presentation Format
Individual Presentation
Intended Audience
Faculty/Practitioners
Presentation Description
Intercultural competence is one of the most important outcome of service-learning. How a class is designed and implemented can make all the difference in a student's experience in the field and how they incorporate that information into their academic understanding and student development. Given the popularity of service-learning, it has become more important that faculty consider the intercultural competence implications of a service-learning class, in addition to the cognitive and general student development implication of this pedagogy.
The study described in this presentation is based on a doctoral dissertation entitled "Student Perceptions of Race and Privilege: An Examination of Intercultural Competence and Service-Learning in the Mississippi Delta." This mixed methods study included the examination of four service-learning classes at the University of Mississippi that included service in the Mississippi Delta, a region know for both economic hardship and racial disparities. The study followed 20 students as they participated in service in this underserved region and examined how they processed issues of race and privilege before, during, and after the service-learning portion of each academic class. Through the findings, the researcher established the notion of layers of understanding: emotional, intellectual, historical, and social. Faculty and the students themselves mush be fully aware of these layers and how they feed into one's perceptions of race and privilege.
The goal of this presentation is to prompt faculty and administrators to better understand the role service-learning can play in fostering intercultural competence. In the presentation, the participants will learn about a study examining service-learning in the Mississippi Delta. The participants will complete an course development checklist during which they will examine strengths and weakness of a proposed service-learning course. They will also evaluate scenarios that might occur during service-learning experiences in order to consider the various complexities in dealing with issues of race and privilege. Time permitting, the group will participate in a brief reflection activity that will illustrate the power of reflection as a mechanism for fostering intercultural competence in service-learning courses.
Finally, recommendations for practice for both administrators and faculty will be presented, giving participants some tangible actions that they can incorporate at their own institutions. Ideally, thoughtful implementation of these recommendation can lead to more effective use of service-learning as a means to fostering intercultural competence.
Location
Room - 1220A
Start Date
4-15-2016 9:45 AM
End Date
4-15-2016 11:00 AM
Recommended Citation
Antonow, Laura, "Service-learning, Intercultural Competence, and Layers of Understanding" (2016). Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning 2016. 42.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gss/2016/2016/42
Service-learning, Intercultural Competence, and Layers of Understanding
Room - 1220A
Intercultural competence is one of the most important outcome of service-learning. How a class is designed and implemented can make all the difference in a student's experience in the field and how they incorporate that information into their academic understanding and student development. Given the popularity of service-learning, it has become more important that faculty consider the intercultural competence implications of a service-learning class, in addition to the cognitive and general student development implication of this pedagogy.
The study described in this presentation is based on a doctoral dissertation entitled "Student Perceptions of Race and Privilege: An Examination of Intercultural Competence and Service-Learning in the Mississippi Delta." This mixed methods study included the examination of four service-learning classes at the University of Mississippi that included service in the Mississippi Delta, a region know for both economic hardship and racial disparities. The study followed 20 students as they participated in service in this underserved region and examined how they processed issues of race and privilege before, during, and after the service-learning portion of each academic class. Through the findings, the researcher established the notion of layers of understanding: emotional, intellectual, historical, and social. Faculty and the students themselves mush be fully aware of these layers and how they feed into one's perceptions of race and privilege.
The goal of this presentation is to prompt faculty and administrators to better understand the role service-learning can play in fostering intercultural competence. In the presentation, the participants will learn about a study examining service-learning in the Mississippi Delta. The participants will complete an course development checklist during which they will examine strengths and weakness of a proposed service-learning course. They will also evaluate scenarios that might occur during service-learning experiences in order to consider the various complexities in dealing with issues of race and privilege. Time permitting, the group will participate in a brief reflection activity that will illustrate the power of reflection as a mechanism for fostering intercultural competence in service-learning courses.
Finally, recommendations for practice for both administrators and faculty will be presented, giving participants some tangible actions that they can incorporate at their own institutions. Ideally, thoughtful implementation of these recommendation can lead to more effective use of service-learning as a means to fostering intercultural competence.
Program Abstract
Intercultural competence can be one of the most beneficial student outcomes of service-learning. Students, like faculty, come to service-learning with varied layers of understanding about race and privilege. Service-learning experiences can enhance understanding and appreciation of diversity, or it can reinforce stereotypes. This presentation provides an examination of how students process issues of race and privilege through service-learning in the Mississippi Delta, and presents recommendations for administrators and faculty on effectively fostering intercultural competence through service-learning.