SCHC 385 H01 24772

BeyondClRoom, SocBehavSci, NotCore

Notes:

**No prerequisites. Open to all majors. Suitable for Freshmen.**This course aims to engage students in community action and change through a “mutual aid” approach. We will examine the origins and foundations of mutual aid and will learn from mutual aid efforts over time and throughout the world, with a focus on mutual aid movements that have emerged since March 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will critically examine dominant models of public health funding and charity in order to explore the social, economic, and political inequities increasingly defining US society and global dynamics.Student participation in mutual aid takes the form of at least 20 service hours during which students will collaborate with community initiatives based in mutual aid core tenets and approaches. Students may build on experiences developed by fall 2020 students during the first offering of this course. The focus on mutual aid and solidarity will give students first-hand experience learning about how to rebuild social relations and shift power and resources to community members themselves, as well as critically analyze the challenges of doing so and develop strategies for addressing challenges.Students will have multiple opportunities to complete their service hours: at-home through virtual and phone assistance, in class, and/or if they feel comfortable, through direct work with community partners. Self-and group-reflection, through reading, discussions, writing, and other forms of expression, as well as the desire to actively engage with community members, are core to students’ success in this course.Nuances: the course is very appropriate and helpful to first year students, as they will get to know Columbia up close and firsthand through their service learning requirement.