Community-Based Learning

Fostering public good through art, science and industry

Food and Land Security in Philadelphia connects with Black and Latinx neighbors advocating for access to affordable, nutritious foods.

Food and Land Security in Philadelphia is a 'side-by-side' community-based learning program sponsored by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. This program is a fusion of campus-based coursework and site-based education with community agriculture partners across the Philadelphia region.

Drexel College of Arts and Sciences students don’t just study the issues affecting the world — they study alongside the people affected. Each term, the College encourages students to become effective change agents by participating with non-profits, government and citizen activists through community-based learning courses like Food and Land Security in Philadelphia; Justice in Our Community; Prison, Society and You; and Writing for Social Change.

All first-year students at Drexel take CIVC 101, a foundational course designed by the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement that introduces the concepts of civic engagement and social justice. College of Arts and Sciences faculty work closely with the Lindy Center and the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships to build community connections and immersive academic experiences.

CIVC 101 – ABOUT THE LINDY CENTER THE DORNSIFE CENTER OUR STORIES

Arts and Sciences Courses, 2024-2025

Community-Based Learning courses created by faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences are intensive experiences that inspire students to 'do good' as they gain the benefits public service brings to their education, career and society.

Title	Instructor	Course #
Food and Land Security in Philadelphia	Steve Dolph	Drexel Course ENSS T380
Food insecurity –lacking reliable access to affordable, nutritious food– affects about one in six families in Philadelphia. Rooted in structural inequity, land dispossession, and environmental racism, this condition has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program uses cultural preservation as a guiding framework by placing community agriculture at the center. In this course, we examine the root causes of food and land insecurity by engaging directly with projects in Black and Latinx neighborhoods dedicated to fighting it. This course can be supplemented by an optional 1-credit weeklong follow-on travel component to Puerto Rico.
Critical Reasoning	Stacey Ake	Drexel Course PHIL 105
Introduces and develops the skills involved in reasoning effectively about experience, and being able to distinguish strong arguments from weak ones.
The Power of Language	Simone Schlichting-Artur and William A. Albertson	Drexel Course HNRS 302
When discussing matters related to race, gender, and other sensitive topics it is essential to sharpen awareness of the potential impact of words. Using black and white language can sometimes oversimplify complex issues or overlook important nuances. However, it can also serve to emphasize contrasts and make a point more forcefully. This course delves into the pivotal role of language in comprehending and tackling intersectionality, particularly in the formation and discussion of social identities. Examining language in this way facilitates a more nuanced understanding of a wide array of perspectives and experiences.
Justice in Our Community	Cyndi Rickards	Drexel Course CJS 260
This course is a seminar style community-based learning course that will begin with an introduction to justice in urban communities and examine problems unique to cities. The course format will include lectures and on-site work with our community partners at UConnect. The synthesis of scholarship and community classroom experience will provide a holistic lens in which to explore issues in our urban community. Topics include urban economies, access to education and health care, digital divides and crime. Students who take this course will also register for one recitation section of CJS 260.
Philadelphia, Garden City	Steve Dolph	Drexel Course HNRS 430
The origin story of Philadelphia begins with a plague in the city of London in 1665 that killed tens of thousands of people. The next year, a wildfire destroyed large swaths of the city, bringing commerce to a standstill. These urban traumas left a stark impression on the twenty-one-year-old William Penn who, years later, became the governor of the vast Pennsylvania colony. Penn's designs for the city of Philadelphia imagined a "green country town which will never be burnt and always be wholesome." In this course, students look back at the promise of Philadelphia as a garden city through the lens of its present struggles. Readings and discussions of archival materials, public planning reports, and environmental justice literature will prepare scholars for site visits, hands-on activities, and direct engagement with the people working to reconcile this promise in their everyday lives.
Organization of American States	Maria de la luz Matus-Mendoza	Drexel Course GST 341
This course is designed to prepare a diplomatic delegation of Drexel students representing a country in the Western Hemisphere to participate at a Model Organization of American States (WMOAS) in Washington, D.C. on April 8-12, 2024. The goals are (1) to acquire political, social, and economic knowledge of the represented country, which changes every year, and the Western Hemisphere, and (2) to prepare students to be able to use diplomatic protocol to participate at the Model OAS in Washington. This course is taught as a Global Classroom and a Community Based Learning class.
Writing for Social Change	Liz Kimball	Drexel Course WRIT 315
Focusing on current social issues, students will explore the history and legacy of a particular social issue and learn from those working to change it. Students will write to reflect on the dimensions of change, practice with professional genres, and gather support to address the issue. This is a side-by-side, community-based learning course. Drexel students will work alongside staff from UESF, a Philadelphia organization committed to a holistic, preventive, and cost-efficient approach to assisting vulnerable families impacted by housing crises. On Mondays, the class will meet on Drexel's campus. On Wednesdays, the class will meet off-campus (1608 Walnut Street--UESF conference room).
Life Is Beautiful	Kenneth Bingham	Drexel Course WRIT 305
This community partnership course links memoir with life, story-telling, and dying. Specifically, the course partners students with local hospice patients to co-create a life-story for the patient and his or her family. Students learn interviewing, listening, and writing techniques as well as skills in analysis and presentation. Additionally, the course facilitates interactions with the community and helps students to see themselves as linked to a community outside of college.
Prison, Society, and You	Cyndi Rickards	Drexel Course CJS 261
This course utilizes the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program to explore the relationship between individuals and the prison system. The Inside-Out Exchange Program is an evolving set of projects that creates opportunities for dialogue between those on the outside and those on the inside of the nation’s correctional facilities. The program demonstrates the potential for dynamic collaborations between institutions of higher education and correctional institutions. Most importantly, through this unique exchange, Inside-Out, this course seeks to deepen the conversation and transform ways of thinking about crime and justice (Crabbe, Pompa, 2004).
Introduction to Feminisms	Jennifer Yusin	Drexel Course WGST 201
Feminisms are movements to understand and critique gender relations and gender oppression, and also attempts to construct positive visions of human freedom and ethical action in an unjust world. This course is an introduction to the history of feminisms. The major movements that make up feminism in the modern era, in both the U.S. and abroad, will be examined.
Chinese V	Hechun Ping	Drexel Course CHIN 202
This course offers students a unique opportunity for collaboration and engagement through language exchange and mutual learning with Chinese-speaking seniors at the Philadelphia Senior Center. Through virtual conversations and a field trip, students will utilize Chinese language to provide English for local Chinese-speaking elderly individuals, and gain insights into the lives and cultures of local immigrants. The course aims to enhance cross-cultural language communication skills.

Community-Based Learning: Our Stories

Steve Vásquez Dolph, PhD (right) recently joined Dean David Brown, PhD for the second installment of his Discussions with the Dean series.

Discussions with the Dean: Meet Associate Dean of DEI & Global Studies Professor Steve Vásquez Dolph

Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish and Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steve Vásquez Dolph, PhD, recently sat down with Dean David Brown, PhD to discuss the importance of community-based learning, language education, diversity in higher education and more.

Students in Food and Land Security community-based learning course

Community-Based Learning Course Gets Up Close With Philadelphia’s Food Crisis

Food and Land Security in Philadelphia, an intensive community-based learning course offered each year in the College of Arts and Sciences, explores an urgent issue affecting our community alongside the people who are impacted.

Students discussing African small businesses in West Philly

'West Africa to West Philly' Course Connects Language With Community

A French course has brought together students and West Philadelphia's native French-speaking West African community, both in and out of the classroom. Students came from different majors and countries to speak and write in French with native speakers and consume Francophone West African works of literature and film in this community-based class.

Writers Room co-op student Jeremy D'Amico

Finding Your Place in the Community with Writers Room

When Jeremy D’Amico, political science ’24, decided to come to Drexel, he didn’t think much about what living in a city like Philadelphia would involve. He quickly became absorbed in his studies and paid little attention to the community surrounding campus—until he started a co-op with Writers Room.

Coco's Fire: the book authors and illustrators

Let’s Talk About Climate Anxiety

Lately, there has been a lot of talk all over the world about the birds and the bees — that is, how they are impacted by the environmentally devastating effects of climate change and how humans play a role in this process. Many of us want to know how we can voice those scary feelings about the health of our planet and then transform them into positive action. While it is an important and timely topic to discuss, sometimes having this talk can be a challenge, especially with children. So, the Academy reached out to children’s book authors Lena Champlin and Jeremy Wortzel to learn more about their work, Coco’s Fire: Changing Climate Anxiety Into Climate Action, and how we can start this very important conversation with our peers and young friends.