Individualized Service Learning Projects

Faculty at Cornell have sponsored and supervised undergraduate community-based research and service projects through independent studies, internships, public service, special research topics, honors theses, field studies, seminars and directed reading courses. To enlist a faculty member to sponsor your service learning project, you should do the following:

Identify the appropriate faculty member by matching faculty expertise and your interests and service activities, and develop a learning plan that will integrate your service activities with your learning objectives both in (theories, readings) and out (skills, values) of the classroom. Project coordinators at the Public Service Center will be able to assist you in developing a learning plan and can suggest the right faculty member for your project.

Discuss your project with the faculty members you identified, and present them with the service-learning plan you have developed so far. Your job is to convince them of the academic worth of your service-learning activities. Once they agree to be your advisor, ask them to help you develop a study plan, including readings, papers, evaluation procedures, supervision and monitoring, meetings, field supervisor's duties, and so forth.

Fill out a Learning Contract (pdf) in which the responsibilities of all parties are spelled out, as well as the number of credits you may earn through your service-learning experience.  

If you are not interested in earning academic credit but you are still interested in having a service-learning experience through your project or idea, contact the Center's Executive Director Leonardo Vargas-Mendez, at ljv1@cornell.edu or 255-0674.

Work with faculty at Cornell