SOM 5498
Capstone I: The Community-Based (“Service”) Learning Experience I

The Capstone experience has two broad purposes: First, we want to provide students with in-depth, hands-on “experience-based” learning in the community of their choice in an approved agency that serves that community. Second, we want students to relate what they learn in class to what they are doing in the community and vice versa. The focus in Capstone 1 (during Year 1) is to understand and describe the health concerns and problems of the community and the “upstream” causes of those concerns and problems. In Capstone 2 (during Year Two), the focus is to select one of the upstream causes and either organize a program to address that concern or problem or join a program in the community already underway and use what they have learned to improve it.

Course Learning Outcomes – After completing the course, students should be able to:

1. Define community and its critical differences
2. Use narrative medicine strategies to engage with representative members of the community
3. Characterize the identity of the community in its historical context
4. Demonstrate the skills of effective community engagement