Community-Engaged Courses at the University of Washington

Volunteer with community-based organizations as part of a course. Community-engaged courses combines service in the community with structured preparation and reflection opportunities, and address concerns that are identified and articulated by the community.

Why get involved

• Relationships: Develop connections with community members and nonprofit organizations; learn from them.

• Personal and professional development: Experience new things, and explore a type of career or area of interest; develop your resume.

• Belong to the community: Get outside the university bubble, and explore the city, different parts of the community, and its landscape of complex realities.

• Contribute to necessary social change: Get involved in/with a community, and contribute to creating the differences that they have determined are necessary.

What to expect

• Community-engaged learning has the following components:

• Students making and following through on a commitment to volunteer each week of the quarter (generally 3-5 hours, depending on their host organizations’ expectations).

• Community-based organizations provide a structured learning experience for the student.

• Faculty members/instructors assist the students in thoughtfully integrating their community experiences into course assignments and discussions.

• The quarter-long opportunity usually culminates in a reflective paper or related project, demonstrating the student’s understanding of academic concepts as integrated with the community-based experience.

UW Community Engagement & Leadership Center (CELE)

The Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities; building authentic community and campus partnerships drive our work. Our programs include CELE Fellowships, Community-Engaged Courses, Dream Project, Husky Leadership Initiative, Jumpstart, Othello-UW Commons, Riverways Education Partnership, and Undergraduate Community Based Internships (UCBI).

Psychology 497 -
Undergraduate Field Work

Psychology majors have the opportunity to earn departmental elective credit for their fieldwork experience in areas related to psychology. The Psychology Department offers Psych 497, a weekly seminar open to students who are also engaged in work in the community. Students have the chance to gain valuable training and work experience in the fields of counseling, social services, criminal justice, education and human resources. In conjunction with the field experience, the Psych 497 seminar helps students to further define their educational and career goals by encouraging the exploration of larger academic questions which relate to the fieldwork they are doing.

Students may earn up to a maximum of 10 credits of Psych 497 by registering in the continuing student section, section D, of Psych 497.