Service Learning: Students

Connecting Classrooms with Communities

Community Service Learning (CSL) courses are designed to help you apply theoretical classroom knowledge to structured, community-based experiences. CSL courses provide structured critical reflection and opportunities for professional development. With community/industry partner employers as co-educators, students in CSL courses engage in real-world professional experiences, allowing students to “learn by doing” and reflect upon that learning.

Additionally, you can expand your social network by cultivating relationships with your peers, faculty member, and diverse community members. Acquiring a social network early on in college through developing social and cultural capital is vital to increasing student success and retention rates.

Community members can benefit substantially from their dedication to raising public awareness and commitment to address existing community issues. Supporting CSL courses is part of our mission at ICCE to develop civically responsible students and strengthen the relationship between our university and diverse community partners. 

Service-learning is a pedagogy that utilizes community service projects within the context of an academic course. Academic service-learning distinguishes itself from internships and other credit-bearing community experiences in several ways.

  • First, the community experience is a component of an academic course, used as a "text" for student learning.

  • Second, service-learning projects are designed in partnership with the community to meet an expressed community need.

  • Third, a structured reflection activity is utilized to help students understand how their community experiences link with the academic and civic learning objectives of the course.

  • Obtain experience to build out your resume in preparation for your future career and/or graduate school

  • Explore potential career fields and network with community members 

  • Post CSL service hours on your official transcript 

  • Develop problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills

  • Expand your social network with SF State students and faculty members

  • Make a difference by influencing  policy outcomes, advocating for change, and/or addressing community-based issues

Several SF State courses incorporate community engaged learning as a component of their curriculum and are included in course objectives. This may be a requirement or offered as an extra credit option.  

Master list of all courses designated as community service learning (CSL)

  • This complete list of courses that are CSL designated as indicated in the SF State Bulletin. Only service hours from these courses will be shown on the official transcript. Please note that not all courses are offered every semester and it is at the discretion of the course instructor to offer the CSL option. 
  • Learn more about service-learning 

Course Sections Offered: Academic Semester

View course sections that instructors have identified as CSL for a given semester.

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