Community Engagement Through Muraling

Historically Underrepresented First-Year Composition Students and Sonoma State’s Core Values

Presenter: Mason Koontz

Co-Presenter(s):
Angelica Sanchez-Rivera, Celine Rubalcava, Estefania Bautista

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Emily Hostutler

Department: English

Funding Source/Sponsor: Koret Scholars Program

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1Quzb_YTk21FrwydfmhoPCarch81pLnzC

Abstract:
We, the Koret Scholars Award sought out to support two activities that are in conversation with one another (one scholarly, one creative) both centered around the emphasis and success of Community Engagement Pedagogies in the First Year Stretch English Composition classroom and the sustained commitment to SSU’s Core Values. All four students, across several disciplines, will be involved in both projects but will take individual ownership over specific roles that compliment their academic and professional development. The first scholarly activity would involve the analysis of past and current community projects that supported the learning outcomes of GE Stretch Composition courses. Specifically, the objective is to quantify responses in student reflection essays about their civic-engagement experience. While we know that retention is an important outcome of this type of learning, what we really want the award to support is the research and quantification of the positive social and community impact students are making so early on in their undergraduate careers and how this influences their attitudes, professional goals and embodiment of SSU’s Core Values in the future. As for the creative activity, we have successfully erected a beautiful mural, titled Reciprocity. Depicted are two figures meant to represent the abundance of good that comes with service-learning. The artwork is situated at the entrance of a community partner, the Petaluma Bounty Farm. In addition to hosting previous First Year Stretch English Composition service-learning, they seek to end food insecurity and increase access to healthy food with organic farming and community self-sufficiency.