Seminars Are a Cause for Concern

introduction The Social Concerns Seminars represent one of the oldest traditions and yet one of the most dynamic programs of the Center for Social Concerns. Building on the model of the Urban Plunge (see Research Report 6) that flourished in the 1970s, students and staff—inspired by the Catholic social tradition—began in 1980 to serve in rural Appalachian communities over break periods. The Appalachia Seminar soon grew in collaboration with community partners to foster engagements from home repair and tutoring to spending time in solidarity with people living in one of the highest areas of poverty in the United States. From such foundations grew a formative model for what is now a diverse constellation of approximately 20 distinct seminars employing a range of academic community engagement approaches—including service learning and community-based research—at over 60 sites across the United States and abroad. Through collaborative pedagogy informed by research on student development, Center faculty and student site leaders adapt seminar foci to address the signs of the times, exploring homelessness, global health, sustainability, immigration, violence prevention, healthcare, spirituality, and more. Since the earliest years, each of the seminars bears one credit for the academic reading, writing, and analyses integrated throughout. Preand post-immersion classes are taught by Center and University faculty from across the disciplines, while theological reflection and social analysis are imbued across contexts. Figure 1 outlines seminar participation by gender and college. Since 1980/1981, when 289 students completed one of the seminars, average annual participation has grown to over 800 student participants. Females and students enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters and Average number of Social Concerns Seminar participants annually by gender and college