Service to the World experiences engage
students in service projects for social agencies, service or civic
organizations, public policy initiatives, or faith communities directly
involved in providing resources, goods, political access, systemic change, or
other services in response to serious human and environmental problems. Both
activities that aim at alleviating present suffering and those that strive for
long term social change are appropriate to this category.
Odyssey credit requires a minimum of 30
on-site service hours, exclusive of any service work done as a part of a New
Student Orientation Trip, or the required courses Explorations and The Engaged
Citizen. The student’s hours of service must be verified on a log sheet and
signed by a person on-site or the Hendrix supervisor. The 30 hours need not be
completed in one semester or in consecutive semesters. They may be spread among
several projects and over a four-year period. Opportunities exist for students
to complete service hours by participating in, for example, Hendrix College
mission trips, summer service fellowships, internships, and service-learning
courses; however, students may also initiate and propose service projects with
other agencies and faith communities.
At the completion of the 30 hours, all log
sheets must be turned in to the campus supervisor. In order to receive Odyssey
credit, the student must submit an online Project
Completion and Transcript Notation Form.
In addition to completing at least 30
hours of service, students must participate in a reflective exercise or set of
exercises in which they analyze the social, ethical, political, environmental,
personal and/or religious implications of what they have seen and undertaken
through their Odyssey service experience. These reflective exercises may be in
the form of journals, more formal papers, or structured discussions during or
after the service experience, as arranged or approved by the Odyssey Office.
Examples of experiential learning
activities that might fulfill this category:
INDIVIDUALIZED ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES. This
category includes service projects connected with internships and optional
projects completed in conjunction with courses (modules) that by themselves do
not merit Odyssey coding.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. Included in this
category would be service projects for which students receive no academic
credit. For example, approved college-sponsored mission trips, summer service
fellowships, and volunteer work would fall under this rubric. Several service
experiences may be combined to fulfill the required 30 hours.
COURSES: Any course that requires at least
30 hours of community service could be eligible for SW coding.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE SW CATEGORY
Supervisors for the SW category may be
members of the Hendrix faculty or administrative staff.
Please consider carefully the way in which
your project will involve a provision of resources, goods, political access,
systemic change, or other services in response to serious human or
environmental problems.
Note that for off-campus experiences you
must have an on-site supervisor to verify your hours of service work in
addition to a Hendrix supervisor.
If you are interested in developing a
service project, you may wish to consult resources available through the Miller
Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling (SLTC 127 or
millercenter@hendrix.edu). For civic engagement projects, you are encouraged to
contact the Odyssey Office at odyssey@hendrix.edu.