This handout is posted online at: annecharityhudley.com
Introduction to Service-Learning & Community Studies
Anne H. Charity Hudley
acharityhudley@wm.edu
The College of William and Mary
Presentation Goals:
 Describe introductory service-learning courses focused on African-American English
that present students with unique opportunities to connect academic learning and
research with community needs.
 Explain the formation of the Community Studies minor at the College of William and
Mary. The minor has a distinct theme of creating scholarship and outreach designed to
promote language and literacy acquisition in underserved communities.
 Reveal how linguistic insights may be critical to helping address social issues concerning
language variation, learning processes, and educational achievement for marginalized
students in the U.S.
Africana Studies/Community Studies/English/Linguistics 250:
African American English
Course Objectives:
The course explores the linguistic and social features of English as spoken by AfricanAmericans in the United States. We examine hypothesis about the history and emergence of
African-American English and explore the relationship of African-American English to
Linguistic theory, Education praxis, American culture, and racial prejudice.
Students participate in yearlong mentoring or tutoring programs in the WilliamsburgJames City County schools or other student serving agencies. In particular, we combine the study
of the language and culture of everyday life with the application of this knowledge to raising the
literacy levels of K-12 students.
Throughout the course we highlight ways that we can contribute to literacy research and
explore what we can do to help with the day-to-day process of helping children acquire literacy
right here in our own community.
Evaluation breakdown:
Class & elsewhere participation 20%
Nine weekly assignments 30%
Take-home midterm essay 10%
Final cumulative paper (15 pages) 35%
Final oral presentation (10 minutes w/ 5 minutes for questions) 5
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Course Textbooks:
Boyle-Baise, Marylynne. (2002). Multicultural Service Learning: Educating Teachers in
Diverse Communities. New York: Teachers College Press.
Rickford, John Russell and Rickford, Russell John. (2002). Spoken Soul: The Story of Black
English. New York: John Wiley.
Cress, Collier, and Reitenauer. (2005). Learning through Serving: A Student Guidebook for
Service-Learning across the Disciplines. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Course Articles that are required and available online:
Labov. (2009). The Penn Reading Initiative on the Reading Road
http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/PRI/
Labov (1971): How I got into linguistics, and what I got out of it
http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/HowIgot.html
Moats, Louisa. Reading IS Rocket Science
http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/downloads/teachers/rocketsciphotos.pdf
Simmons, Ruth J. "My Mother's Daughter: Lessons I Learned in Civility and Authenticity."
Texas Journal of Ideas, History and Culture, 20 (Spring/Summer 1998): 20–29.
http://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/my-mothers-daughter-lessons-i-learnedcivility-and-authenticity
Student Projects
Analysis of the PALS literacy test for linguistic bias in Glade Spring, VA
The language of African-American children with autism in Virginia
The correlation between language use and self-esteem in the tutor/mentor relationship in
Williamsburg & Richmond, VA
Support for college students with dyslexia in Virginia
Understanding the relationship between literacy and poverty in Williamsburg, VA
Engaging non-profits on the Texas-Mexico border
Discipline Models and their Effect on students in Williamsburg, VA
Language Variation Workshops for Pre-Service and Teach for America Teachers at William and
Mary
Graduation is Not the End: Pathways Towards Higher Education in a Richmond, VA High
School
Hip Hop as a tool for engaging youth at a Saturday Academy in Williamsburg, VA
Improving the Morehouse Men organization at a Virginia Beach High School
Language and Education about Domestic Violence in Williamsburg, VA
Improving Alternative Education Volunteers in Williamsburg, VA
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Serving African Diaspora ESL Students in Newport News, VA
Language Variation and Reading: Comparison of Methods in a Public and an Independent
Elementary School in Newport News, VA
Motivation: Remembering to Dream in a Virginia Beach High School
Community Studies Minor at The College of William & Mary
http://www.wm.edu/as/charlescenter/interdisciplinary/structured/communitystudies/
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Introductory yearlong service-learning course (first year seminar or intro course)
Engaged scholarship theory course (engagement in context)
Community based research methods course (focus on direct engagement)
Three related electives of their choosing (must tell a cohesive story)
Final capstone project or senior thesis (in conjunction with faculty in the student’s major)
Websites to help you get started:
Major government service learning site
http://www.learnandserve.gov/
Maryland graduation requirement:
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/servicelearning/
NCTE writing partnerships: https://secure.ncte.org/store/writing-partnerships
Models of high school service learning:
http://www.servicelearning.org/youthsite/high-school/stories
http://www.servicelearning.org/search/
State Farm Service Learning Grants
http://www.statefarm.com/aboutus/community/education/slchampion_award.asp
William and Mary Undergraduate Research Experience
The William and Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE was developed
to provide resources encourage students who are represented in the William and Mary
community to pursue undergraduate research experiences at William & Mary and to encourage
students to continue in their research pursuits at the graduate level. WMSURE students
participate in several workshops a semester and conduct research on campus led by WMSURE
faculty mentors. WMSURE workshops are open to ALL William & Mary students.
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References
Banks, James A., and Cherry A. McGee Banks. (2007). Multicultural education: issues and perspectives.
New York: Wiley.
Boyle-Baise, Marilynne. (2002). Multicultural service learning: Educating teachers in diverse
communities. NY: Teachers College.
Charity Hudley, Anne H. (2009). Linguists as agents for social change. Language and Linguistics
Compass 2.923‐39.
Charity, Anne. H., Jeree Harris, Joseph Hayes, Katherine Ikeler, and Andrew Squires. (2008). Service
learning as an introduction to sociolinguistics and linguistic Equality. American Speech 83.237‐
251.
Charity Hudley, Anne H., and Christine Mallinson. forthcoming. We DO English: English Language
Variation in the Secondary English Classroom. Columbia, NY: Teachers College Press.
Charity Hudley, Anne H., and Christine Mallinson. (2010). Understanding English Language Variation
in US Schools. Multicultural Education Series. Columbia, NY: Teachers College Press.
Charity Hudley, Anne H., and Christine Mallinson. (2009). Communicating about Communication –
Multidisciplinary Approaches to Educating Educators about Language Variation. Language and
Linguistics Compass Online Conference.
http://compassconference.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/conference-paper-communicating-aboutcommunication-multidisciplinary-approaches-to-educating-educators-about-language-variation/
Cress Christine M., Collier Peter J., and Reitenauer, Vicki L, and associates. (2005). Learning through
Serving: A Student Guidebook for Service-Learning across the Disciplines. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Delpit, Lisa, and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy. (eds.). (2002). The skin that we speak: thoughts on language
and culture in the classroom. New York: New Press.
Labov, William. (1971).How I got into linguistics, and what I got out of it.
http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/HowIgot.html
Reading Rockets website. http://www.readingrockets.org
Rickford, John Russell & Russell John. Rickford. (2000). Spoken soul: The story of Black English. New
York: John Wiley.
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