The CASE for Newark
Archived article from Oct 22, 1999
By Irene O'Brien
The Citizenship and Service Education (CASE) program, which began on the New Brunswick campus in1988, is now in its second semester on the Newark campus, with more than 100 students enrolled in 13 different classes.
"CASE courses include a rigorous classroom experience along with a service-learning placement that is directly related to the subject matter of the course," said George Paschalis, director of the Newark Center for Families and Communities, which manages the CASE program on the Newark campus.
"The service-learning placement typically involves 40 hours of community service that allow the students to confront the complex realities of the abstract concepts they learn in the classroom. It's very hands-on, and it is designed to forge a link between the classroom and the real world while teaching students the value of community service," he said.
According to Melina Aguilar, Newark's CASE coordinator, the program also provides Rutgers students with an opportunity to give back to their communities. "Many students get caught up in college life, and it can be easy to forget about those who didn't make it to college for a variety of reasons.
"CASE allows students to give back to the place where they came from and to help others who may follow. And it does more than help them feel good about themselves. Their CASE experiences can also help them better understand their place and role in society," she said.
CASE courses in Newark focus on history, philosophy, health education, political science, criminal justice, social work, visual and performing arts, and women's studies.
Elizabeth Hull, an associate professor with the political science department, is teaching two CASE classes this semester, including "American Con-stitutional Development" and "Civil Liberties."
"My students are doing a number of different internships with different Newark agencies to understand how the issues we discuss in class impact society. These include housing discrimination, institutional racism and the problems facing urban America," she said.
"The CASE program offers the dual benefit of allowing them to witness these issues firsthand while, as volunteers, they are working toward a solution and giving back to the greater community. The students have profited enormously, and they are very excited and moved by their experiences."
|
