Taught By:
Stephanie Ruppen
Center for Service-Learning
Student Program Coordinator
University of Kansas
Read profile here.
Motivation for Teaching Social Action:
I started my role in the KU Center for Service Learning in May 2024 and am challenging myself to consistently engage with continuous professional development and education with the intention of better supporting student success and community impact. I don’t have a formal education in one of the more traditionally-aligned majors related to social action—my colleagues tend to have degrees in political science, public policy/administration, sociology, journalism, and social work—and while I know there are countless paths to success, I acknowledge the gaps in my training and stive to fill them. Not only do I wish to avoid unintentional harm to those we serve, but I also want to boost the reach and strength of the CSL’s work.
We are a small team of two full-time staff members with various student assistants and two faculty fellows, with an ever-expanding scope and waning funds. I feel the pressure to develop my own expertise and confidence in facilitating social action activities, conversations, project management skills, and resource databases because the phrase “if not us, then who?” demonstrates our office’s role on campus. Furthermore, in order to bring more passionate and qualified people into the space of “social action,” I need the skills to encourage instructors, students, and community partners to join and then support them while they pursue their own changemaking projects. Sometimes I fear that the service work done at our institution lacks depth and sustainability; I hope that this course development program will help me prepare for pitfalls, challenge me to navigate changing DEI policies, and cement service learning and civic engagement as pillars of the University of Kansas.
Course Description:
Reworking this course: This course begins with the premise that community service is a valuable response to the social problems that we face in today's society and that understanding of self, knowledge of social issues, and commitment to service are essential for effective engagement in communities. Students will be introduced to existing responses to social problems and will work to formulate their own individual and collective responses.
