I recently discovered an opportunity to apply to a department at a local university to design and teach my own course. While I am certain that I would like to teach a course that civically connects students to the community, I remain uncertain about the course content and implementation. This uncertainty not only stems from my rookie status as a graduate student designing her first college course, but also from my desire to construct and implement a course that might actually get students to think critically about social, economic, and political issues while making a difference in their community.

I continue to revisit the Westheimer and Kahne piece about educating the “good citizen” and think about the goals I have for the course. After looking at several course syllabi, it seems that the recipe for most experiential learning courses includes “a few servings” of the personally responsible and participatory visions of citizenship with “a hint” of the justice-oriented pedagogical vision. Should my course employ each of these visions of citizenship? How do I incorporate a vision that integrates critical analyses of social, economic, and political issues while building capacity for collective service, participation, and action? Are there course models out there that effectively engage these notions of citizen participation?

Then I had another thought: What pedagogical tools effectively sustain student engagement in the community or with an issue not only during the course, but also after the course ends? I read an inspiring story last year about a social action course that applied theories and history to social change and ultimately led the students to raising the minimum wage in the community. Was it the context that mattered? Or, was it the fact that one student entered the course invested in this particular issue, found that others were personally affected by the issue, and organized to create tangible social change?

Higher education institutions serve as civic venues of opportunity for young people to catalyze ideas about social justice and become engaged in their communities via service and scholarship. I’m thrilled about the prospect of bridging my practitioner and scholarly backgrounds into a course, and look forward to spending the next few weeks researching different pedagogical possibilities. Ideally, my first stint in the classroom will provide my future students with an opportunity to develop into informed decision-makers who feel empowered in civic action.