ABSTRACT
Integrating service-learning into college courses requires attention to two important aspects of course development: how to compensate for the additional student time and effort service requires and how service will be factored into the evaluation of student performance. The classroom portion of the course followed a conventional lecture/discussion format, with discussion predominating over the lecture portion. After the first couple of weeks, when introducing basic concepts and the political economy context of American public policy, class sessions generally involved discussion around key questions or issues that framed during the first 5 or 10 minutes of class. The service experience seemed an opportunity for many for personal growth and the development of their own self-confidence. The students who interviewed AFDC recipients gained confidence in their ability to conduct interviews and, what several found most important, their ability to deal emotionally with the sometimes traumatic stories they heard.
