For a final project in Julia Kirchner’s Building Community Service Learning course, students were directed to look to another as a source of knowledge and inspiration. They selected a biography or autobiography of an individual who has made a difference in the world or who has made a significant contribution to his or her community. The only restrictions? This person’s primary contribution could not be in art or design and could not be directly related to the student’s service learning placement.
Along with reading the biography, students had to write a five page review, create a poster, and present the work orally to their class.
Such a project encouraged the reading of long and difficult texts; it allowed students to put into practice the interpretation of what is learned through writing, speaking, and making art; and it had them consider how diverse people make social contributions in various ways.
Here are some of the results:
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- Bell Hooks
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- Dalai Lama
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- Dorothy Height
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- Florence Nightingale
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- Harvey Milk
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- H.G. Wells
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- John Lennon
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- John Wanamaker
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- Malala Yousafzie
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- Sheryl Sandberg
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- Tina Fey
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- Rosa Parks