ABSTRACT
The sociological and cultural experiences of undergraduates for the most part are parochial. Their arrival from “the real world” carries with it all the provincialism, ethnocentrism, and cultural myths circumscribed within their civic and personal biographies. As a class-segmented society, diverse racially, and characterized by rural agricultural, migrant, manufacturing, service, and underground workers, Geneva captures a sense of diversity remarkable for upstate New York, particularly for a small community. Hobart and William Smith Colleges maintains a comprehensive curricular program of community-based learning under the title The American Commitments Program. Students in these courses work in local agencies, schools, hospitals, and with community organizations in and around Geneva. These sites range from rape crisis centers and economic improvement groups to neighborhood organizations and educational settings. The conjunction of readings on citizenship with a larger context of social difference, pluralism, and economic justice proves to be formidable.
