The "Lived Experience" of Political Engagement [electronic resource] / R. W. Hildreth.
For faculty members who incorporate experiential or service learning pedagogies into their courses, student experiences in the field can be difficult, emotionally charged, and full of unexpected outcomes. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study of student lived experiences in the p...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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2003.
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| Summary: | For faculty members who incorporate experiential or service learning pedagogies into their courses, student experiences in the field can be difficult, emotionally charged, and full of unexpected outcomes. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study of student lived experiences in the political science course "Democracy and Education" (an upper level political theory course at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) and practicum "Coaching Public Achievement." The paper has two distinct goals: (1) to describe the course and practicum as a potential model for instructors who wish to incorporate similar pedagogies and practical experiences into their courses; and (2) to better understand the nature of student experiences, what these experiences mean, how they learn through experience, and whether this course fosters political engagement. It explains that, based on narratives from in-depth interviews and student journals, the interpretive study aims at what Clifford Geertz calls thick description. The study seeks to document learning and personal change through critical analysis of detailed narratives. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings--narrative descriptions of student experiences highlight the profound learning that occurred through the course. It offers a broad working definition of political engagement, encompassing an individual's involvement in formal and informal activities with others intended to influence or address public problems. Includes six notes. Contains 29 references (BT) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED479697. ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (99th, Philadelphia, PA, August 28-31, 2003). |
| Physical Description: | 36 pages. |