Character Education and Community Development: Level Three

Course Content

This course examines principles, concepts, and examples relating to developing community action-service projects especially as they relate to nurturing, assisting, and encouraging parents. Students will work through training materials and self-appraisal tools prepared by Mottahedeh Development Services. The MDS materials foster the attitudes and skills of servant leadership, provide a systematic means of assessing community-organizational capacities and needs, and offer a process of developing action plans.

Assignments

Assignments for the course are designed to involve the students in active reflection on the meaning and application of what they are learning. The assignments for the course will be organized within four modules. All assigned materials will be available at the FHSU Blackboard on-line classroom. You will be notified via e-mail regarding access procedures.

Overall assignments for the course include:

• 1. Reading assignments are posted for each module.
• 2. Participation in the Discussion Board as outlined in Modules.
• 3. A Reflection Paper is required for Module One.
• 4. A Mind Map is required for Module Two.
• 5. Other assignments as outlined in the Modules.
• 6. Portfolio documentation is required to receive credit for the residential Colloquia and community service components of the course (Participation in Residential Colloquia at Louhelen and related service in the local community).

All student written work will be posted to the Blackboard discussion board area for the course. This will provide an opportunity for students to review and comment on each other's work. We hope this will enrich the learning experience for all by helping all receive beneficial advice and encouragement based in the diverse experiences and perspectives of all students. This public posting of reflection papers and mind maps will, in effect, create an on-line seminar where students will post their work and receive peer review and comment.

Grading Standards

• 1. Assignments will be graded by the instructor. Criteria for evaluation of Reflection Papers and Mind Maps is posted in the Assignments area of the Blackboard on-line classroom.
• 2. Information about and examples of Mind Mapping approaches can be found at the following websites:
  http://www.mind-mapping.co.uk/mind-maps-examples.htm
  http://www.mind-mapping.net/examples.htm
• 3. Students may revise Reflection/Reaction Papers as many times as they wish within the overall course time schedule provided.
• 4. Incompletes will be approved only in emergency situations. Students are requested to work with the assignments according to the posted schedule.
• 5. On-Line Discussion participation must express careful and substantive consideration of the Reflection Paper to which response is being given. Comments can be encouraging and appreciative - that is, of course, a good thing - but brief, encouraging comments will not suffice to fulfill this portion of the assignment. Students should strive to engage with the other students' work, not just appreciate it. What is interesting, exciting, inspiring, problematic, or incomplete in the Reflection Paper you are considering? Why?

Module One Assignments

• 1. Mary Pipher. The Shelter of Each Other (entire book) – available by purchase or at many libraries.
• 2. Reflection Paper drawing on readings posted to Discussion Board. Discussion Board comments will be student-to-student responses to student-posted Reflection Papers. Instructor will also grade Reflection Papers according to published evaluation criteria.
• 3. Participate in On-Line Discussion (posted responses to at least two Reaction Papers).

Module Two Assignments

• 1. The Skills of Servant Leadership, Mottahedeh Development Services (available on-line).
• 2. Mind Map drawing on readings posted to Discussion Board. Discussion Board comments will be student-to-student responses to student-posted Mind Maps. Instructor will also grade Reflection Papers according to published evaluation criteria.
• 3. Participate in On-Line Discussion (posted responses to at least two Mind Maps).

Module Three Assignments

• 1. How to Improve Community Processes-Part 1, Mottahedeh Development Services (available on-line).
• 2. Recommend at least six websites which offer materials and ideas that you believe may be helpful either to parents themselves, or to those of us working to nurture, assist, or encourage parents. Write a brief, but meaningful, summary of the site that will enable your colleagues to know what it offers. These sites will be shared with the class-posted to the Discussion Board.
• 3.Participate in On-Line Discussion (posted responses to at least two web summaries).