Public Advocacy Project

In choosing an appropriate project, students use Project Guidelines and a Project Checklist. Once approved, students pursue the project in stages with the support of a dedicated textbook, focused exercises, and an intensive supportive learning community in a discussion and workshop-based classroom.

 

 

Students provide evidence that the problem exists and is urgent before embarking on further research.

 

Students demonstrate a thorough understanding of the problem—harms, causes, and advantages of addressing the problem.

 

Students narrow, adapt, and organize information from the Problem Analysis for an audience of classmates.

 

Students revise and refine their Problem Analyses and provide a thorough, well-researched plan that best addresses the problem in their community.

 

Students determine how to most appropriately present their plan to the community. They provide a rationale for their choice of action and a detailed timeline for how they will proceed with their action. 

 

Students take action in the community. If it is a speech, they give that speech to their identified audience. If it is an event, the event will be held. Change need not actually happen nor do students necessarily receive an “A” if it does, but they need to have crafted an appropriate means with appropriate content for reaching their intended audience with their message. To successfully complete the course, the action must be documented.

 

In an in-class speech, students advocate their plan to an audience of community agents of change.

 

Students assess the effectiveness of their action in reaching the audience with the intended message.

 

Students create a visual expression of their project aimed at an Internet audience.

 

Based in project and personal self-reflection exercises and in-class discussions, students reflect upon knowledge and skills gained, identify areas for personal development, and create a plan with additional courses, internships, activities, and/or experiences to help them continue growth over the next few years.