Immediately following Sept 11, an unprecedented number of Americans volunteered to aid communities in need. A new class taught this semester studies the factors that motivate American communities to provide their services to society.
The two-hour "Community Exploration" seminar will move beyond the impact of the current national crisis to address the underlying influences of technology, globalization, religion and ethics on the American community.
Third-year College student Samantha Gavin, who created Interdisciplinary Studies (INST) 310, said that while America's sense of community increased after Sept.11, she is "not sure that charitable giving and volunteerism will remain on the rise."
Gavin said he and seminar facilitator Anthropology Prof. Wende Marshall, want students to be able to "question and critique community as an ideal and also in the U.Va. community".
Gavin's idea for the "Community Exploration" seminar stemmed from involvement in a "Service and Non-Violence" seminar that she facilitated with Madison House service fellow Abby Keisa and Fourth-year College student Shivani Kackar last Fall.
After talking with Special Scholars Dean Lynn Davis and Anthropology Prof. Richard Handler, students began searching for a class sponsor. Marshall offered to facilitate the seminar and helped create a syllabus for the spring semester.
Students submit critical response papers each week based on selected readings or on topics discussed during the weekly two-hour seminar.
As part of the seminar's larger goal, students will bridge the gap between the University and some of the different Charlottesville communities, Gavin said.
"Encouraging relationships between students and the Charlottesville community is very important both for the community to get to know us and more-so for us to learn about the community outside of the U.Va. bubble," Gavin said.
Students of INST 310 must come up with their own community service project as part of the grade for the course.
The class currently is considering working with the Virginia Organizing Project on its living wage campaign at the University.
Class members would act as "probes" into the University student population, informing it about the campaign, Gavin said.
The class wants to "help the VOP in successfully convincing UVa. to put pressure on ARAMARK [food provider] to grant living wages to U.Va. employees," she said.
The INST 310 project will allow students to study and evaluate the real-world impact of their volunteer efforts.
While a large part of the University population participates in service work, Gavin questioned whether volunteers consider how their weekly time commitment fits into the "bigger picture."
Second-year College student Lily Whitesell, who is involved in Migrant Aid and is a "homework helper" tutor, said that she decided to take INST 310 "to explore the role that community has played and continues to play in the U.S. as well as globally."
The seminar's interdisciplinary approach will provide an opportunity for students to study the concept of community from a number of different perspectives including sociology, government, anthropology and religion professors.
"That is the beauty of an interdisciplinary seminar - we can look at community through many lenses," Gavin said.
Active leaders in the Charlottesville community will also provide guest lectures on local volunteer efforts.
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