Teaching and learning active citizenship â€" an investigation of service learning in the postgraduate classroom.

This paper investigates the use of service learning in teaching active citizenship in the postgraduate classroom. It critically analyses the impact of service learning in GV6104 ‘the dynamics of public participation’, a MBS/MA module that explores the relationship between democracy and participation. Students in this module are trained in the internationally respected Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VSPJ) voter education active citizenship programme. They will deliver it in the Carrigtwohill Saint Vincent de Paul family resource centre in advance of the 2009 European Parliament and Local Government elections and to students in UCC’s Certificate in Political issues in Ireland which is offered to refugees and asylum seekers. As part of their course work the students will also develop and produce additional teaching materials..x000d..x000d.In order to critically evaluate the project this paper: investigates service learning as a pedagogy reviewing the literature on the relationship between it and civic education; explores service learning best practice; and evaluates the performance of the UCC project against service learning standards of best practice and data gathered from student assessment of the service learning experience. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]