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Learning Political Engagement from the Experts: Advocacy Groups, Neighborhood Councils, and Constituency Service
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LEARNING POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT FROM THE EXPERTS:
ADVOCACY GROUPS, NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS, AND
CONSTITUENCY SERVICE
Siegrun Fox Freyss, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8226
Tel. (323) 343-2238
Fax. (323) 343-6452
## email not listed ##
www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfreyss/sfreyss.htm
Abstract:This paper describes an uncommon approach to service learning. The students in my class are placed with experts of the political advocacy process, not with charitable nonprofits. Making use of the great variety of organizations located in the greater Los Angeles region, the course offers students the opportunity to volunteer either (1) in the regional office of an interest group, (2) at the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) of the City of Los Angeles, or (3) in constituency service at the district office of an elected official. To demonstrate points of access to the political system to disaffected young people, the service-learning component is integrated in one section of the basic American and state government course, which is a general education requirement for all college graduates in the state of California.
The students’ favorable ratings of the course when it was first offered in fall 2001 and then in
winter 2003 confirms the appropriateness of the approach. Service learning is supposed to encourage life-long civic engagement, and the results of a questionnaire given to the students at the end of the quarter show overwhelming success in that respect. Of 24 students, 91.6 percent liked the course and would recommend it, or highly recommend it, to fellow students. Also, 79.2 percent were likely, or very likely, to do volunteer work in the future for the organization where they did their service learning project, and 91.7 percent were likely, or very likely, to do volunteer work in the future for another organization. Similarly favorable results were achieved when the course was offered a second time in winter 2003.
Prepared for delivery at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science
Association, Philadelphia, August 28-31, 2003.
Copyright by the American Political Science Association.
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| | Authors: Freyss, Siegrun. |
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LEARNING POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT FROM THE EXPERTS:
ADVOCACY GROUPS, NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS, AND
CONSTITUENCY SERVICE
Siegrun Fox Freyss, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8226
Tel. (323) 343-2238
Fax. (323) 343-6452
## email not listed ##
www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfreyss/sfreyss.htm
Abstract:
This paper describes an uncommon approach to service learning. The students in my class are placed
with experts of the political advocacy process, not with charitable nonprofits. Making use of the great
variety of organizations located in the greater Los Angeles region, the course offers students the
opportunity to volunteer either (1) in the regional office of an interest group, (2) at the Department of
Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) of the City of Los Angeles, or (3) in constituency service at the
district office of an elected official. To demonstrate points of access to the political system to disaffected
young people, the service-learning component is integrated in one section of the basic American and state
government course, which is a general education requirement for all college graduates in the state of
California.
The students’ favorable ratings of the course when it was first offered in fall 2001 and then in
winter 2003 confirms the appropriateness of the approach. Service learning is supposed to encourage life-
long civic engagement, and the results of a questionnaire given to the students at the end of the quarter
show overwhelming success in that respect. Of 24 students, 91.6 percent liked the course and would
recommend it, or highly recommend it, to fellow students. Also, 79.2 percent were likely, or very likely,
to do volunteer work in the future for the organization where they did their service learning project, and
91.7 percent were likely, or very likely, to do volunteer work in the future for another organization.
Similarly favorable results were achieved when the course was offered a second time in winter 2003.
Prepared for delivery at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science
Association, Philadelphia, August 28-31, 2003.
Copyright by the American Political Science Association.
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