Service learning is a philosophy of experiential learning integrated into and enhancing academic curriculum, in which students participate in community service not only to meet the needs of the community, but also to develop their critical thinking skills, commitment to values and skills for effective leadership (Mintz & Liu).
Service-learning, by its dual nature of mutual exchange, provides avenues for students to interact with external nonprofits and organizations, learn through experience, and bring those experiences back into the classroom for further academic enrichment, all the while fulfilling a need in the community.
As part of our urban mission, Warner Pacific affirms the importance of engaged learning and supports pedagogies that work towards our goal of preparing civic leaders who will transform society through acts of faith, scholarship, and service.
Towards this end, academic service-learning seeks to enrich course content and learning objectives while promoting increased self-awareness, greater personal efficacy, informed critical thinking and a deeper understanding of societal responsibility, diversity and the urban environment.
Designated Service-Learning Courses
- CM 220—Spiritual Formation
- HIS 206—Strangers Among Us: Immigration and the Borderlands
- HIS/URB 370—History of the American City
- REL/TH 410—Christian Ethics
- REL 320—Spirituality, Character, and Service
- SOC/REL 310—Religions of the World
- SOC/PS 345—Social Problems and Public Policy