Service Learning
Course Description:
This course is for students who have completed two or more years of Japanese or have reached an intermediate level of proficiency, and want to continue to build a higher level of proficiency. This course counts toward fulfilling CSUMB’s Japanese Major Learning Outcomes (MLO 1) and it also fulfills CSUMB’s upper division service learning requirement. Students will have the opportunity to engage with community projects of import and relevance, while examining issues of justice, compassion, diversity and social responsibility. Students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Japanese language and culture through their community service and develop communication skills through discussions, reflection essays and presentations.
MLO's:
This course meets MLO1.
Course Narrative:
Service learning was a unique experience where I served 31 hours at Ord Terrace Elementary school. During my service I worked closely with students from Kindergarten to 5th grade, during our classes we taught them about Japanese language and culture in order to broaden their world view and help them understand that despite cultural differences people are often very similar. One of the ways that we did that was through teaching them about Japanese mythology and yokai as well as obon. The lesson plan allowed us to show them that through comparison their own culture was not very different from Japanese culture. By working with the students I was able to meet service learning outcome 1, social and self awareness, by addressing what stereotypes I went into this experience with. Since I am a college student I have an inherent privilege, exposure to other cultures and ideas, that our students did not have. We had to address the many questions that our students had in regards to Japanese culture because they do not have the same exposure that I have been lucky to have.
Service learning outcome 2, which addresses service and social responsibility, was addressed through my going to the school and trying to help educate the children not just about Japan but about college also. The students did not believe that they could go to college and through us being there and talking to them about college they begin to understand that they could also go to college if they wanted. We also were able to give them a chance to learn about other cultures, which they may not have gotten otherwise, this also allowed them to talk to their friends and family about Japan which involved the community at large in our classes as well. This experience also connects to service learning outcome 3, community and social justice, because we worked to help the students and their community to get opportunities that they may not have otherwise had. Our students were from lower socioeconomic classes as we discovered in our research that we did before we started our service. Since we realized that our students were not exposed to the same opportunities as others we needed to help encourage them to take this opportunity and learn more. Most of them were also first generation immigrants and because of that they faced additional discrimination.
Simply by interacting with the students in a positive way and encouraging them we were able to help the students to feel that they could succeed and overcome their disadvantages. Service learning outcome 4, multicultural community building, when we entered and left the community that we served we were sure to remind the children that there are lots of opportunities for them and that college is possible. The students were also able to engage with Japanese culture as well as compare their own and American culture to the concepts that we taught the them about Japan. College can be difficult for students to feel that they are able to achieve but allowing the students to hear our stories as well as show them that they are intelligent and capable of doing well in school.
This course is for students who have completed two or more years of Japanese or have reached an intermediate level of proficiency, and want to continue to build a higher level of proficiency. This course counts toward fulfilling CSUMB’s Japanese Major Learning Outcomes (MLO 1) and it also fulfills CSUMB’s upper division service learning requirement. Students will have the opportunity to engage with community projects of import and relevance, while examining issues of justice, compassion, diversity and social responsibility. Students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Japanese language and culture through their community service and develop communication skills through discussions, reflection essays and presentations.
MLO's:
This course meets MLO1.
Course Narrative:
Service learning was a unique experience where I served 31 hours at Ord Terrace Elementary school. During my service I worked closely with students from Kindergarten to 5th grade, during our classes we taught them about Japanese language and culture in order to broaden their world view and help them understand that despite cultural differences people are often very similar. One of the ways that we did that was through teaching them about Japanese mythology and yokai as well as obon. The lesson plan allowed us to show them that through comparison their own culture was not very different from Japanese culture. By working with the students I was able to meet service learning outcome 1, social and self awareness, by addressing what stereotypes I went into this experience with. Since I am a college student I have an inherent privilege, exposure to other cultures and ideas, that our students did not have. We had to address the many questions that our students had in regards to Japanese culture because they do not have the same exposure that I have been lucky to have.
Service learning outcome 2, which addresses service and social responsibility, was addressed through my going to the school and trying to help educate the children not just about Japan but about college also. The students did not believe that they could go to college and through us being there and talking to them about college they begin to understand that they could also go to college if they wanted. We also were able to give them a chance to learn about other cultures, which they may not have gotten otherwise, this also allowed them to talk to their friends and family about Japan which involved the community at large in our classes as well. This experience also connects to service learning outcome 3, community and social justice, because we worked to help the students and their community to get opportunities that they may not have otherwise had. Our students were from lower socioeconomic classes as we discovered in our research that we did before we started our service. Since we realized that our students were not exposed to the same opportunities as others we needed to help encourage them to take this opportunity and learn more. Most of them were also first generation immigrants and because of that they faced additional discrimination.
Simply by interacting with the students in a positive way and encouraging them we were able to help the students to feel that they could succeed and overcome their disadvantages. Service learning outcome 4, multicultural community building, when we entered and left the community that we served we were sure to remind the children that there are lots of opportunities for them and that college is possible. The students were also able to engage with Japanese culture as well as compare their own and American culture to the concepts that we taught the them about Japan. College can be difficult for students to feel that they are able to achieve but allowing the students to hear our stories as well as show them that they are intelligent and capable of doing well in school.