The Lasting Effects of Civic Engagement Education

• In Event: TLC at APSA: Civic Engagement Track Panel 2: Assessing the Immediate and Lasting Impacts of Civic Engagement Education

Abstract

The impacts of civic engagement education are tracked through a 2004 service learning U.S. Government course at Morningside College to the paths of students who participated in the course. Of students in the course, some are faculty themselves who now offer civic engagement courses, others work in the public sector, many continue to be civically engaged in some way, and one is a campus Coordinator for Civic Engagement who organizes service opportunities for students. This paper will reflect what impact the course had on these students, how much the course strengthened pre-existing interests versus instilling new interests, and what has changed about civic education between 2004 and 2020. It will also discuss the role of civic engagement education in empowering students to participate in democracy and in their communities.

Authors

• Laura Roost, Newberry College

• Patrick F. McKinlay, Morningside University