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Fall 2010
African American Studies 98/ 198
2 Unit(s)

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community service /
field work course

About the Course:

We are gathering a group of people with a common interest in serving others for the well-being of the community we live in. This DeCal’s especially beneficial for people who are planning to apply to the Peace Corps: we hold Returned Peace Corps Volunteer panels and presentations, so we can learn the Peace Corps service projects abroad and the necessary skills for the service. It doesn’t matter if you’re not interested in Peace Corps. The course offers an outlet to public service. We have our community service events every week as well as host Peace Corps alumni panels at every meeting. In addition, we provide application workshops for those interested in applying to the Peace Corps. If you have a passion in public service and cross-cultural understanding, this is the course for you!

Our goals:

-To encourage involvement in the environment around and outside of campus

-To learn about local and global issues

-To make an impact by volunteering in the community

-To promote peace through public service

-To foster friendship on campus and in the community

-To create leaders in public service

This course is a great curriculum for anyone interested in community development, foreign affairs, international travel, developing economies, ESL teaching, computer skills training, health care development, hygiene education, agriculture & environmental studies, youth development, business development, microfinance, economic development, public service, public policy, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.

Please look at the Berkeley Peace Corps website listed below for more information.

How to Enroll:

This semester our DeCal is a 2-unit class with some requirements.

1. First, students are required to attend a public service event once a month (mostly in the weekend).

Students may choose to be a volunteer instructor in our Tutoring/Mentoring Program and bypass the public service event requirement. However, the volunteer instructors are not exempt from attend class weekly on Wednesdays. Also, students can try out the classroom experience by dropping by any Monday from 5-7 PM at 848 Kearny Street (3rd Floor of I-Hotel) in San Francisco. The tutoring program has been ongoing since early summer and is in operation throughout the year.

2. Secondly, the class meets twice a week, although students only have to come to the Wednesday meetings. Missed meetings can be made up by doing an extra public service event. The two meetings are listed below:

-The club meets on Wednesdays evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at 210 Wheeler Hall. (Students may come starting at 6:30 PM though, as the first half hour is for board meetings). This meeting features Return Peace Corps volunteers speaking about what it is really like to spend several years helping out in another country.

-Also, the club meets on Saturday mornings from 9 AM- 12 noon at 20 Barrows Hall to plan public service events and discuss other information that didn't get covered on Wednesday if needed.

3. Finally, students are required to turn in a weekly reflection paper (one page, double spaced, 12 point font) on each of the Wednesday meetings, which is due the following Wednesday meeting. Students may email their paper as long as the paper is in by the next meeting. A late or missed paper may be substituted with a public service event participation per missed/late paper.

Enrollment is on a first come, first served basis. There is no required formal application or interview. To enroll, go to telebears and enroll in the class African American Studies 98 (for freshmen and sophomores) or African American Studies 198 (for juniors and seniors).

The course control numbers are as follows:

00569+00571 (for freshmen and sophomores)

00653+00672 (for juniors and seniors)