Community-engaged learning gives students the opportunity to examine diverse perspectives and apply what they are studying in the classroom in real-world settings. This high-impact field-based learning enables students the opportunity to reflect critically on their experiences and invest in their own education.
In community-engaged learning courses, students go beyond the classroom to connect theory and practice. They collaborate with communities to design, implement and evaluate research solutions to reach problems. These rigorous courses challenge students to grow.
PROGRAMS
A-PLUS in Math The University of Alabama Practitioner Leaders for Underserved Schools in Mathematics is a collaborative partnership between The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa City Schools, Tuscaloosa County Schools, and the Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Alabama Science in Motion A partnership between UA, UWA, and high schools in the region, Alabama Science in Motion provides high-tech laboratory experiences for students and effective professional development for teachers.
Bama on Broadway Each spring, our theatre students travel to New York for the Bama on Broadway showcase, where they perform for an audience that includes talent agents and alumni.
Frances J. Summersell Center for the Study of the South The Summersell Center partners with Central High School to create the History of Us course, the area’s first secondary-level course centered on the history of African Americans in Alabama.
Music Ensembles Faculty and students from the School of Music take part in a range of Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles that are dedicated to performing a wide repertoire around the world.
Music Therapy Program Students in our music therapy program gain clinical experience while serving various populations in the community. This is the only program of its kind in Alabama.
New College LifeTrack New College Life Track is an interdisciplinary, undergraduate program that enables non-traditional students to earn a bachelor’s degree from UA.
Sella-Grenata Art Gallery The Sella-Granata Art Gallery features student exhibitions as well as visiting artists and is an essential part of the education and development of UA students and our community.
Theatre & Dance Productions Every year, our students offer a range of dance and theatre productions for the campus and community.
UA Gallery Housed in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, the UA Gallery offers a year-round schedule of exhibitions of artistic works, artifacts, textiles and more from permanent collections held by UA, as well as works by faculty, students, guest artists, and designers.
COURSES
Department of Anthroplogy
ANT 481/581: Anthropology is Elemental This is a service-learning course in which graduate and upper-level undergraduate students develop lessons and teach eight to 12-week Anthropology courses in local elementary schools as part of the partnership programs with the University of Alabama.
Department of Biological Sciences
BSC 393: Biology Outreach UA Biology majors create and teach hands-on science lessons to K-12 students in the Tuscaloosa County and Tuscaloosa City Schools throughout the calendar year. Additional community partners include the Boys and Girls Clubs of West Alabama, Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority, Tuscaloosa Magnet schools, Tuscaloosa’s One Place, I Dream Big, UA Arboretum, the Tuscaloosa Public Library, and the Tuscaloosa Children’s Hands-On Museum.
Department of Modern Languages & Classics
CL 380: Ancient Greek Comedy This course is designed to focus on detailed investigations of specific aspects of Greco-Roman civilization such as ancient drama, women’s lives, ancient religion, and technological achievements. The “therapy through art” service-learning component incorporated working with vets suffering from PTSD in theatre courses.
Department of Modern Languages and Classics
FR 324: Commercial French This course uses a semester-long experiential approach designed to engage students in performing real-life and business-related tasks in French. In the course, students progress from performing internship-search-related activities to working as an intern for a sustainable travel organization.
Department of Modern Languages and Classics
FR 424: Globalization, Marketing and Communication This course focuses on a semester-long experiential simulation designed to connect students with current real-world marketing and digital practices in French.
Department of History
HY 400 Southern Memory – Lynching in Alabama Examines the history of lynching. Working with the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, students have investigated the documented lynchings in Tuscaloosa and Pickens County.
New College
NEW 237 and 238: Cooperation and Conflict This seminar explores significant social problems in contemporary society and the complex ways in which social change occurs. Students investigate and seek solutions for current social problems. This course has a 12-hour service-learning component. Working to help community partners and schools with projects they identify is a key component of bringing together academic expertise and citizen know-how.
New College
NEW 226: Organic Farming Seminar An intensive, hands-on course in organic farming taught at a local working farm. Covers the basics of organic farming while also addressing questions about organic versus industrial agriculture models in relation to current environmental problems and solutions. The course works with Schoolyard Roots to advance its mission of establishing sustainable gardens at local schools.
New College
NEW 243: Interdisciplinary Sciences This seminar demonstrates how the nature of the laboratory experience plays an essential role in the understanding and advancement of science. Several multidisciplinary experiments are performed in geology, chemistry, physics, and biology.
New College
NEW 490: Community Arts Seminar What functions do arts serve in communities? How do creative activities affect cognitive and social learning? We will explore these questions as we develop and offer arts workshops in local public schools. Arts are broadly defined to include theatre, dance, creative media, language arts, engineering, painting, pottery, etc.
Department of Psychology
PY 380: Practicum in Community-based Psychology This is a course that teaches students the scholarship of community engagement and guides them to work with local adolescents on a service project. Students in the course mentor middle- or high-school students to choose a community project, plan it and carry it out. Over the years, projects have ranged from improving recreational areas to protecting stray animals. Offered once a year. Approximately 20 psychology majors enroll in this course each spring.
Department of Psychology
PY 395: Child Mental Health: Theory and Field Experience In this course, students learn about childhood mental illnesses while observing children and mental health professionals at Brewer Porch Children’s Center. Offered once a year. This course takes place partly in the classroom and partly at Brewer Porch Children’s Center. Students learn about child mental health issues in the classroom and then observe and interact with children who are admitted to the BP residential placement. Approximately 15 students enroll in this course each year.
Department of Psychology
PY 394 Mentoring Students with Autism This new course helps students gain skills in working with individuals with autism. In the classroom, students learn about the characteristics and causes of autism, while they are matched with a UA student who has autism for peer mentoring. We expect approximately 15 students to enroll in this course each year.
Department of Modern Languages and Classics
SP 355: Spanish for Native Speakers This course focuses on the study of the Spanish language, tailored specifically to native or heritage speakers. Students develop their Spanish skills by applying their learning in a practical manner through grammatical activities, short compositions, and conversations on podcasts. There is also, and preparation for bilingual translation. This service-learning (SL) course works with 3 community partners: Good Samaritan Clinic, Schoolyard Roots and Turning Point.
Department of Modern Languages and Classics
SP 356: Advanced Grammar and Composition This course focuses on Spanish grammar and writing. During the course, students apply their learning in a practical manner by exercising their Spanish knowledge through grammatical activities, academic essay writing about Hispanic literary sources, and extensive bilingual translation. This service-learning (SL) course works with 3 community partners: Good Samaritan Clinic, Schoolyard Roots and Turning Point.
Department of Modern Languages and Classics
SP 362: Spanish for Healthcare Professionals This course is designed to build fluency in both spoken and written Spanish that will enable health care professionals to communicate more effectively with patients. It emphasizes vocabulary acquisition and cultural nuances along with a grammar review for students to work on improving their self-expression and mastering the communication skills necessary in the health care profession. In this service-learning course, all students are expected to engage in a total of 15 hours of volunteering at a local health clinic or a related health fair activity.
Department of Modern Languages and Classics