“The pandemic has reminded us that no one is saved alone. What ties us to one another is what we commonly call solidarity. Solidarity is more than acts of generosity, important as they are; it is the call to embrace the reality that we are bound by bonds of reciprocity. On this solid foundation we can build a better, different, human future.” — Pope Francis, from the New York Times. A global pandemic followed by a wave social protests offered a challenge, and an opportunity, to redefine… read more about Fall 2020 prioritized racial justice, language access, education, isolation, and social innovation »
Language barriers slow the process of receiving critical information, which is particularly problematic during a global pandemic. Last spring, as DPS raced to pivot from classroom learning to distance learning in just a few weeks, and non-English speaking families were particularly vulnerable to missing vital information and resources connected to basic aid and teaching their children. The DPS Multilingual Resource Center was designed for this very reason—to provide… read more about Duke students partner with DPS to deepen language access during COVID-19 »
In June 2020, Duke Service-Learning received a grant from the NC Commission on Volunteerism in Governor Roy Cooper’s office to launch the Duke University North Carolina LiteracyCorps, a statewide consortium of AmeriCorps members working to build the capacity and impact of community and campus-based education programs. This fall, fifteen half-time Duke University North Carolina LiteracyCorps members were placed in local service agencies. Fifty additional AmeriCorps members will join the group for summer… read more about Duke University NC LiteracyCorps offers student opportunities to build community and campus-based education programs »
Every semester, Kusum Ji always makes it her mission to provide students with fun and interactive activities to engage in the Hindi language and its culture. This semester was a little bit different due to the virtual environment of classes. Nonetheless, Kusum Ji made the impossible possible this semester with a virtual dance class with Rohini Thakkar from the Duke India Initiative. The goal of Hindi 101 and Hindi 203 is to help connect students to the local Indian… read more about Students learn Hindi through Bollywood dance class »
"A Tour Through Historic Black Durham" was part of the virtual event "Getting to Know Your New Hometown: Durham Then and Now," hosted by Duke Service-Learning. In this video, Kyrie Mason and Geoff Gadsden present a dynamic aerial tour of historic Black Durham using Google Earth maps. Kyrie and Geoff are first-year graduate students in the Master's in History program at North Carolina Central University. They are working with Dr. Charles Johnson, Assistant Professor and… read more about A Tour Through Historic Black Durham »
Excerpt from Duke Today: “We wanted a senior year for the record books, and we got it! … Just not for the reason we expected. COVID-19 threw a curve ball at us, but we’ve made it our mission to find happiness in different places.” With these words, Duke student Nneka Nwabueze begins a photo essay of student life during the pandemic. It’s part of a class project Digital Documentary Photography: Education, Childhood, and Growth (DOCTST 209S / FS), a Center for Documentary Studies course taught by Susie Post-Rust. Students… read more about 'COVID-19 Threw a curve ball at us': Student photo essays document life during a pandemic »
“A tiny pocket of people in Durham who were relative strangers were actively seizing the same research problem: how to combat the widespread social isolation under COVID19 distancing regulations through creative gathering and exchange. Several student teams continued with weekly calls and partnerships beyond the bounded space of the course. The opportunity to continue to learn from the deep wisdom of persons living with Dementia was compelling and mutually felt." - Sarah Wilbur, designed and taught Artists in… read more about Students from Artists in Healthcare create Communities of Care during the pandemic »
On Thursday, November 19, 2020, Georgetown University Press, Georgetown College, and Georgetown University Library hosted Duke University professors Joan Clifford and Deborah Reisinger in their Books for a Better World online event series. They discussed community based learning in a pandemic with GUP director Al Bertrand. They are the authors of Community Based Language Learning https://bit.ly/377tW66 read more about Community-Based Learning During a Pandemic with Joan Clifford and Deb Reisinger »
“I don’t believe we will be able to solve some of the world’s biggest problems like climate change, systemic racism and institutionalized inequity without being able to look to the people on the frontline of these changes and seek their guidance.” - Michaela Stith Duke alumna and 2018 Betsy Alden service-learning award winner Michaela Stith is publishing a book that addresses climate change, systemic racism, and institutionalized inequity. “Welp: Climate Change & Arctic Identities” is a travel… read more about Service-learning alumna Michaela Stith publishes book on climate change, systemic racism and institutionalized inequity »
DURHAM, N.C. – Two Duke University seniors were among 32 recipients selected this weekend for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships. Kendall Jefferys, from Keller, Texas, and Jamal Burns, from Saint Louis, Missouri, were chosen from among 953 applicants at colleges and universities throughout the country. The scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Recipients are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership… read more about Two Duke Seniors Awarded Rhodes Scholarship »
More than 100 faculty, staff and students paused amid the relentless pace of the fall semester to gather and reflect on finding purpose, the Duke academic experience and the challenge of systemic racism as part of an annual event hosted by Service-Learning. “The Fierce Urgency of Now” – its title a reference to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. – featured more than an hour of frank discussion, frequently punctuated by student voices and featuring Dean of Students John Blackshear and Martin Smith, Dean of Academic Affairs… read more about Deans Blackshear and Smith Talk Anti-racism, Finding Purpose and Life's Unexpected Paths »
What is transformative learning? How do we develop the necessary critical lens to engage in transformative learning? How can Duke build a culture that supports disrupting norms that are problematic? The Transformative Learning Intellectual Community and Duke Service-Learning convened in Fall 2020 for a discussion with Dr. Richard Kiely, Senior Fellow, Office of Engagement Initiatives at Cornell University, to explore these topics. Grounded in adult and intercultural… read more about Transformative Learning: Perspectives on Critical Engagement: A presentation by Dr. Richard Kiely »
Four undergraduates from Jessica Sperling's community-based course Evaluating Healthcare Innovation (EHD 290) continue to pursue their collaborative research project and recently published a paper in JCO a clinical oncology journal. Learn more about the Bass Connections course here and here. read more about Undergraduates from community-based course EHD 290 continue collaborative research and publish a paper in JCO »
Student oral history projects from the service-learning and community-based courses "Refugee Lives: Violence, Culture, and Identity" and "Documenting the Middle East: Community & Oral History" use community-based and student documentary production to record diverse voices from Palestinian-American and refugee communities. The student-produced fieldwork will now be permanently housed at Duke's Archive of Documentary Arts at the Rubenstein Library. "I think the value of the oral history approach is… read more about Student oral history projects from "Refugee Lives" and "Documenting the Middle East" archived at Rubenstein Library. »
Language barriers slow the process of receiving critical information, which is particularly problematic during a global pandemic. Students in several service-learning courses—such as Spanish 205: Advanced Intermediate Spanish, Spanish 306: Health, Culture, and the Latinx Community, and Spanish 308: Latinx Voices in Duke, Durham and Beyond, partnered with GANO to come up with a solution: providing a virtual space for language tutoring. Their work was recently featured by WRAL in this… read more about In a time of social distance, student leaders from GANO partner with Spanish service-learning courses to take language classes online »
9 Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty, including six SLCE faculty members, were awarded a planning grant by The Provost’s Office for “Transformative Learning: A Shared Intellectual Interest across the University,” an initiative to identify transformative learning moments among Duke students. Members will develop a shared knowledge of transformative learning practices and assessment. They will host a discussion with Dr. Stacey Johnson of Vanderbilt University, a renowned expert… read more about Faculty awarded grant to identify transformative learning experiences »
Mentoring undergraduates in community-based research: The Office for Faculty Advancement offers seed grants to provide a financial head start for novel faculty development initiatives within academic units (schools, departments, divisions, centers and institutes) that aim to foster a sense of community and a welcoming and respectful climate for all members. Amy Anderson, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Education and Kathy Sikes, Senior Civic Engagement Fellow, will use the grant on a project that will… read more about Amy Anderson, Kathy Sikes Awarded Grant for Community-Engaged Mentored Research »
All service-learning and community-based experiences will be virtual/remote in Spring 2021. Our guidelines are as follows: We will follow university guidelines for off-campus activities. No in-person events or activities sponsored by Duke will be permitted to take place off-campus, both in Durham and elsewhere in or outside the U.S. Faculty should consult the Duke Minors Policy for details about the process to get approval for virtual interactions with minors. We will support faculty interest in service-… read more about Duke Service-Learning will follow university guidelines for off-campus activities »
From collaborative graffiti boards and interactive maps and paintings to "pajaminars" versus webinars, these online tools and strategies offer creative ideas to enhance community-building, fun, and student engagement in a virtual setting. Watch the workshop videos here: Digital Intimacy-Cultivating Belonging in Online Learning (Sarah Wilbur, Duke Dance) Interactive Activities Using the Zoom Annotation Tool (Melissa Simmermeyer, Romance Studies) Using the NearPod app for Student Engagement… read more about Got Zoom fatigue? Liven it up with these creative instructional strategies from Duke faculty and Learning Innovation experts! »
In celebration of last year’s Duke Service-Learning annual theme, #MakingPlaceMatter, Duke service-learning students and faculty reflected over the past several months on what they’ve learned in the places and spaces of Durham through community-engaged experiences. See their words in motion in this artfully animated crowdsourced poem. read more about Making Place Matter: A Community Poem »
It's a great time to consider adding a CLAC (Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum) course to your bookbag! CLAC offers half credit courses that focus on current issues in global health, public policy and the environment and allow you to put your skills to use in a real world context, extend your fluency, and build your conversation skills. CLAC courses often focus on social justice issues and can also help prepare you for an international career using your world language skills. Learn more about CLAC in this… read more about Deb Reisinger and CLAC courses featured in Trinity News »
Students in Literacy Through Photography (DOCST 224S) collaborate with Durham Public Schools to teach a curriculum that cultivates critical thinking skills, self-expression, creativity, and equity. Read the Article! read more about Literacy Through Photography (DOCST 224S) uses mask-making to think critically, cultivate empathy, and bridge cultural divides »
Lead the Way Durham is an experiential learning class focused on civic engagement and democratic participation in Durham. “One thing that resonated deeply with me was the service-learning theme of making places matter. It is important for us to make places matter and we are obligated to do that as citizens in democracies in a variety of ways. As a new citizen of Durham, making my place matter in Durham was important to me. I wanted to make that part of my pedagogy for this class and enable… read more about Hart Leadership Program Associate Director Lalita Kaligotla focuses on civic engagement and democratic participation in "Lead The Way Durham" (PUBPOL 270S) »
Our director, David Malone, talks about what's he's learned from leading DukeEngage in Boston and how he's never felt more engaged and socially connected than he does right now, in this moment. Read why in this DukeEngage faculty profile. read more about David Malone: "I've never felt more engaged and socially connected than I do right now, in this moment." »
Duke Service-Learning denounces the ongoing violence against Black lives and the needless deaths of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery among countless others. We recognize these killings are part of a historic and perpetual system of white supremacy and structural racism that systematically harms Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples on personal and institutional levels. We are in solidarity with the anti-racist activism of protestors around the world. We recognize that service-… read more about Duke Service-Learning Solidarity Statement »
Keep Exploring – Keep Being / Keep Connecting We invite you to join Duke’s Summer 2020 experiential learning initiative called Keep Exploring – an effort initiated by the Provost’s Office to support Duke students this summer. Keep Exploring is a two-part co-curricular program that connects experiential learning opportunities such as internships and apprenticeships with a series of workshops, trainings, and… read more about Keep Being, Keep Connecting workshop series »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
The Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Awards recognize annually one community partner, one faculty member, and one graduating senior for their outstanding commitment to the ideals of service-learning. We are pleased to recognize the following award recipients for their excellent work: Axel Herrera Ramos (student recipient), Yan Liu (faculty recipient), and Syretta Hill (community partner recipient). read more about Congratulations to the 2020 Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award Winners »
At the beginning of the Spring 2020, we were in a heady, academic space—exploring ideas, theories, concepts around our annual theme, #MakingPlaceMatter, a theme centered on cultivating greater consciousness about the places and spaces created by community-engaged teaching and learning. Our programming and events examined how places and spaces are structured and defined in ways that can separate or unite communities, limit or enhance awareness, diminish or expand power differentials. Then COVID-19 happened, and… read more about #MakingPlaceMatter in COVID 19 »
Each year, Duke Service-Learning reviews Duke's Visible Thinking abstracts to award the Community-Engaged designation for undergraduate research. Selected projects represented different types of engagement including work with faculty in partnership with community or governmental agencies, exploring issues of identity in the context of a community placement, and creating products or research on behalf of an organization. The photos below illustrate just one example… read more about Visible Thinking: Celebrating Community-Engaged Research »