SL/CE, SPACE, and Criminal Justice
Start Date
12-4-2024 2:45 PM
Location
CASB 102
Document Type
Presentation
Abstract
The authors were part of a group of USC Upstate professors/instructors who planned and implemented a service engagement project (requiring four hours of student service) for general education courses. The service project is a joint effort with our university and Spartanburg Conservation (SPACE), a group that cares for green spaces in our county. Our Criminal Justice students spent a total of four hours at the Upper Chinquapin Greenway clearing invasive plants. The area has become a safe haven for a number of houseless individuals, substance users, and people selling sex. Thus, few other residents take advantage of the 36 acres and miles of hiking trails. The hope is that clearing the invasive species will make the area more visible, thus reducing crime and encouraging use of the land. Our students were asked to reflect on housing policies, treatment of substance users, community service/prison labor, victimless crimes, the policing of public space, and social inequities regarding access to green spaces. Our experiences with the project varied. Some students were resistant to working outside, and we discovered many had never been in nature before. Others did not believe that service should be required. On the other hand, many students enjoyed being outside and learning about their community. Those in multiple general education courses with this project have noted the intersection between classes that on the surface are very different (e.g., Biology and Criminal Justice).
Keywords
SL/CE, criminal justice, general education
SL/CE, SPACE, and Criminal Justice
CASB 102
The authors were part of a group of USC Upstate professors/instructors who planned and implemented a service engagement project (requiring four hours of student service) for general education courses. The service project is a joint effort with our university and Spartanburg Conservation (SPACE), a group that cares for green spaces in our county. Our Criminal Justice students spent a total of four hours at the Upper Chinquapin Greenway clearing invasive plants. The area has become a safe haven for a number of houseless individuals, substance users, and people selling sex. Thus, few other residents take advantage of the 36 acres and miles of hiking trails. The hope is that clearing the invasive species will make the area more visible, thus reducing crime and encouraging use of the land. Our students were asked to reflect on housing policies, treatment of substance users, community service/prison labor, victimless crimes, the policing of public space, and social inequities regarding access to green spaces. Our experiences with the project varied. Some students were resistant to working outside, and we discovered many had never been in nature before. Others did not believe that service should be required. On the other hand, many students enjoyed being outside and learning about their community. Those in multiple general education courses with this project have noted the intersection between classes that on the surface are very different (e.g., Biology and Criminal Justice).