JAN TERM 2012 CHRISTIAN SERVICE INTERNSHIP COURSE DESCRIPTION Brother Michael Avila Course: Christian Service Internship

Instructors: Br. Michael Avila, Br. Mark McVann, Prof. Randy Farris Domestic Cities: Oakland; San Francisco; The Bronx, New York; New Orleans, Louisiana; Providence, Rhode Island; Chicago, Illinois; Tucson, Arizona; Fort Yates, North Dakota. International Placements: Sao Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City, Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Dominican Republic; Bogota, Columbia; Granada & Valencia, Spain. -------------------------------------------------------------------Phone: 631-4460 Email: mavila@stmarys-ca.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------Description: The goal of the course is to engage reflectively in an experience of direct service to the disadvantaged and to relate this experience to a Christian tradition of such service as gleaned from the Scriptures, other assigned reading, papers, as well as seminar discussions and intercultural simulations. Direct service will be given to those facing many types of disadvantages. The CSI ministry sites include after-school tutoring centers, middle schools, high schools for court adjudicated youth, catholic worker homes, daycare centers for the children of impoverished families, orphanages, educational centers in Native American Reservations, medical centers for the homeless, hospitals, and many more. Students will live in a community at or near the locations they will be working. The instructor approves an on-site supervisor, who meets regularly with the student. A minimum of 30 - 40 hours per week of direct service is required. Please check the website (www.christianserviceinternship.org) beginning September 6, 2011 for ministry site updates requesting volunteers and a description of the ministry and population served by each respective ministry site. Your application will be emailed to your three ministry site preferences on October 3, 2011. -------------------------------------------------------------------Division: Upper Due to the nature of work (in high risk areas), most sites select older, mature candidate with experience who are capable of working independently in stressful environments. . -------------------------------------------------------------------Informational Meetings: All candidates are required to interview with Br. Michael Avila (signup list is located in Dante 321. A website: www.christianserviceinternship.org has been built to answer any questions students may have about the program or respective ministry sites.

-------------------------------------------------------------------Instructors: Brother Michael Avila mavila@stmarys-ca.edu Phone: (925) 631-4460 Office: Dante 321 For Brazil: Br. Mark McVann (925) 631-6128 Augustine Hall, 120 For Dominican Republic: Prof. Randy Farris (925) 631-4992 St. Josephs Hall, 101

-------------------------------------------------------------------Prerequisites: 1). Initial interview with instructor, completion of application form, two faculty recommendations (submitted electronically), $75.00 materials fee and invitation by a respective ministry site. Interview and prerequisites must be completed before the first mandatory seminar meeting scheduled for Sunday, October 16, 2011. For ministry in the United States and Mexico, students should contact Br. Michael Avila in Dante 321, ext. 4460; for ministry in Brazil please contact Br. Mark McVann (Augustine Hall room 120), ext. 6128; for ministry in the Dominican Republic please contact Prof. Randy Farris (St. Joseph Hall room 101), extension 4992. (Br. Michael will submit a list of names to the Registrar of those students who have been officially invited to work at a respective ministry site and accepted into the Christian Service Internship class.) 2). Completion of written assignments, attendance and quality of participation in all four mandatory seminars! These seminars are scheduled from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on the following four Sundays: October 16, November 6, November 20, 2011, & February 19, 2012. Dinner will be provided at each of these meetings. -------------------------------------------------------------------Reading List: Selections from A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching by Kevin McKenna. Modern Spiritual Masters: Writings on Contemplation and Compassion, edited by Robert Ellsberg. Cloud of Witnesses by Jim Wallis & Joyce Hollyday. Biographies: Dr. Tom Dooley, Selections from Mother Teresa In My Own Words. Articles "Four Stages of Spiritual Growth in Helping the Poor" by Albert Nolan; "A Home for the Crushed and Lonely" by Jean Vanier; "Fighting the Stereotype Stigma". "Liberation Theology" by Philip Kennedy. -------------------------------------------------------------------Basis for Final Grade: Number of hours of direct service to the disadvantaged during January Term and written evaluation of students performance by their respective ministry site supervisors (75%); quality of participation in all three preliminary and concluding seminars; written assignments on readings, journal, final paper (25%); exit interview with instructor to process students experience and evaluate the students performance on all of the above. -------------------------------------------------------------------Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course, students will be able to identify and articulate the reason for the Church's "Preferential option for the poor" and explain its relevance to their field experience. Students will be able to identify and discuss the structural causes that contribute to local and global poverty. Students will be able to discuss and reflect critically upon their transformative spiritual experience within different cultural settings in relationship to their vocational life call, their religious commitments, and their community service. Students will be able to examine and critically analyze a specific organization and identify the reasons for its effectiveness or lack of success. Students will be able to write and reflect upon the lives of four

Christian exemplars discussed in the course, explain their unique perspective on Christian Service and its relevance to their lives as students. -------------------------------------------------------------------Course Fee: 75.00 Course fees will be used to pay for class materials, Journal, textbook and food for four seminar dinners. -------------------------------------------------------------------Will this be a theme-centered course? Yes, inasmuch as is The Christian Service Internship (CSI) program is designed to expose students to selfless service and social change through internships in ministry sites around the world. For 27 years, the program has transformed the lives of 697 Saint Mary's College students who have served in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and New Zealand. The CSI ministry sites include after-school tutoring centers, middle schools, high schools for court adjudicated youth, catholic worker homes, daycare centers for the children of impoverished families, orphanages, educational centers in Native American Reservations, medical centers for the homeless, hospital emergency rooms, and medical clinics. At Saint Mary's College, CSI is a living commitment to the college's mission to provide a wholesome education for the common good. -------------------------------------------------------------------Travel Dates: (travel courses only) January 3 - January 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------Spaces Reserved for Freshmen: Given the nature of the work, most sights prefer older students. Requested Class Limit: 50 students divided between three instructors and to accommodate the number of requests from ministry sites.