Civic engagement in the undergraduate classroom

I attended a "lunch and learn" today on civic engagement in the classroom - really interesting stuff. The Landscape Architecture department has a capstone course where the students consult local disadvantaged communities on how their skills as landscape architects can increase their quality of life. From crime prevention to creating more green space, the students talk to adults and children, treating them as clients, and research the best ways to use their land. Their final reports are usable tools for the communities to apply for grants and funding.

It's such a great idea. I love the idea of civic engagement in the classroom. Beyond the idea that's popular in business circles now of "social responsibility," it ties socially responsible ideas such as volunteerism to the importance of engaging in civic life. Expressing your opinion, using your skills to improve the community in which you live, learning how the theoretical skills you use are helping fight the war on terror or keep healthcare accessible or aiding in other public policy areas - this is civic engagement for undergrads.

As educators, we must challenge them to think outside their narrow paradigms of what they know and want to change to fix their views on larger and more distant points. They must be challenged to see how their skills can truly improve and revolutionize the world - more than building a house for a family or working in a soup kitchen. It's got to be more comprehensive, more far-reaching, if we're going to be the generation that erases the me-decades of the baby boomers.