Curriculum

With ICU’s service-learning curriculum, service activities are tied to learning via various reflections and sharing. There are a variety of courses available that enable students to experience active learning through service activities and earn course credits at the same time. Academic staff is advising as service-learning advisors to connect the service-experiences of students to educational programs.

Curriculum

Courses	Term	Units
GE: Service-Learning（General Education）	Spring, Autumn	3
Preparation for Service-Learning Field Study	Spring	1
Community Service-Learning I, II	Autumn	3
International Service-Learning I, II	Autumn	3
Reflection on Service Experiences	Autumn	1
Special Studies in Service-Learning I, II	Winter	2

Service-Learning Advisor

When taking the Practicum Course, each student is to find Service-Learning (SL) Advisor. SL Advisor will give evaluation on written reports and oral presentation, besides giving advice etc. on the activities as to link the course with academic learning at university. Students are to think about their interested field and service category, and think who would be suited, then ask for SL Advisors. Students are to keep contact with SL Advisors proactively, and seek consultation and coaching.

ICU's Service-Learning in 3 Steps

Step 1: Preparation…What is Service-Learning? Expose to the essence of SL discipline.

First students will learn various service activities in the society from lectures of instructors and guest speakers of non-profit organizations, then will experience 18-hour service activity at local communities. Learning can be made out of classroom. Students will understand the process of Service-Learning, learning through service activities and reflection.

Step 2: Field Study…Experience 30-day service activity in Japan/overseas.

Students will select their field of interest; education, welfare, environmental issues, global cooperation etc.and will serve at NPO, public institutions etc. in Japan or overseas for 30 days mostly in the summer. The participants of the program will ask academic staff to be his/her “Service-Learning Advisor,” who gives students an advice about activities and academic instructions.

Step 3: Reflection…Share your experience with others.

Students will give a presentation about what they learned from activities, then finish up a paper through sharing and reflections with each other. Even after the SL course is over, a lot of students engage in further studies. Some students continue volunteering at local communities and others decide their majors in ICU.

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Co-listing

Co-listing of Service-Learning (SL) Course for following majors is applicable from 2020, so units of SL course will be counted as the graduation requirements for these majors. This will strengthen the relations between SL and majors in ICU, and students could apply their learnings and research on campus to service activities.

Course	Co-listed majors
Community Service-Learning I（SLR204）3 credits	Development Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Peace Studies, and Education
International Service-Learning I（SLR205）3 credits	Development Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Peace Studies, Global Studies, and Education
Reflection on Service Experiences（SLR303）1 credit	Development Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Peace Studies, Global Studies, and Education

-Respective Service-Learning Courses are co-listed with the Global Studies Major from AY2022.
-Respective Service-Learning Courses are co-listed with the Education Major from AY2024.

For students, we recommend them to try to have a consultation with their major advisors in advance on what and where you are going to do, or ask related faculty to be their SL Advisors (*). To make a conncection between their major learnings and service-learning will be expected.

*SL Advisor...SL Advisors are educational staff members who provide advice and support with students during their service activities. Students need to visit professors and ask them to become SL Advisors.