Challenges sophomore students to apply knowledge and research skills acquired in their freshman year in the Honors Program. Students work individually with a faculty member of their choice on a mutually-agreed-upon study topic anchored in community service. Coursework includes presenting a research summary before a meeting of Honors Program students and faculty at the end of each semester.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
Aims to deepen students' interests in topics related to community service while strengthening their research and oral presentation skills as a way of preparing them for continued studies at transfer institutions. The course challenges students to engage in disciplined social service at an organization within metropolitan Detroit, to research historical, cultural, and political issues related to their work at the organization, and to interpret the significance of their service endeavors within the context of that research.
- Varies by academic field and discipline of the Honors Program faculty willing to offer the Honors Program directed studies.
Includes student experience performing a minimum of fifteen hours of community service at an off-campus site or sites in the metropolitan Detroit community designated by the instructor.
Course objectives determined by the individual instructor and stipulated in a written "Student Contract".
Assessment and Requirements
- Student produces a journal that profiles and analyzes the community service activity undertaken.
- Student writes a 400 word (maximum) abstract summarizing the project for distribution to the Honors Day Student Presentation assembly held at the end of the semester.
- Student presents the project in summary form at the Honors Day Student Presentation assembly or, makes a formal presentation of the research before a public forum approved by the instructor and the Honors Program Director.
The instructor will meet with the student in a face to face session one hour per week for fifteen weeks. Missed sessions will be made up. The instructor in collaboration with the student determines the assignments and focus of the project the student will undertake. Each instructor will draw up a “contract” following the model provided by the Honors Program. The HP Directed Study contract will stipulate what is expected of both the instructor and the student in terms of readings, project goal, and the specific due dates for completion of the readings and the project(s). In addition to assigned readings, the course work will require a minimum of fifteen hours of community service at a site or sites specified by the instructor in the contract. The instructor will select the assigned site(s) from a provided by the Honors Program Director. The student must perform at least one hour of service per week, verified by the appropriate contact at the site. It is highly recommended that due dates be determined for various stages of the project in addition to the final completion date, so that the student may receive critical feedback as well as avoid procrastination. The instructor will present a progress report and distribute the contract to a meeting of Honors faculty during the semester
Students enrolled in Honors Directed Study—Service Learning will read at least one influential work in the discipline of the instructor that is relevant to the service that they are performing in the community. An “influential work” is a work that has had a major impact on the discipline or scholarship in general. At the discretion of the instructor, the student will read the work in whole or in part. In addition students enrolled in Honors Directed Study—Service Learning will maintain a journal that summarizes and analyzes their service experience each week and employs the required reading for the week to provide perspective to that experience. The student journal will constitute the primary outcome of the course. The student will present and make available an abstract of this journal before a gathering of Honors Program students and faculty. The last Friday of each semester (Fall and Winter) will be set aside for this purpose.