ABSTRACT
In the Western Journal of Communication, Nakayama (1995) argues for relevancy in the discipline of communication studies when he says, "[communication scholarship can (and should) make a difference in the everyday lives of people" (174). The same argument can be made for our teaching as an extension of our scholarship. Through service-learning in communication-related endeavors, our students will learn to do relevant research while also providing related and needed service to local communities. Service-learning courses also challenge faculty to unite the too-often disparate duties of teaching, research, and service. One master's-level course I teach at New Mexico State University serves as a case in point, using a service-learning model informed by Participatory Action Research (PAR) philosophy and methods.
