Developing Civic Literacy

The Service-Learning Writing Project

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Dr. David D. Cooper, Professor, Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures

The Service-Learning Writing Project strengthens ties between undergraduate learning, writing instruction, and public service. In "Public Life in America," a first-year course developed by Cooper and offered through Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRA 135), students engage with and write for public audiences. The projects are pragmatic -- promotional brochures for the local zoo, informational pamphlets for parents regarding state testing standards, and Web sites for community nonprofits. Faculty and students, in partnership with Michigan Nonprofit Association, Michigan Children's Network, Michigan Campus Compact, and MSU's Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, published the volume Generation Y Speaks Out: Public Policy Perspectives through Service Learning (2002). Students presented the publication to state legislators in a public forum as an attempt to ensure that lawmakers heard the voices of young voters when addressing and formulating policies.

For more information, view the WRAC Service-Learning Project Web site.

Sources: WRAC Service-Learning Web site.

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