Breaking out in class

For Sharpless, a change in location was essential to her change in ideology. And on campus, there are already many programs and extracurricular options that make it possible to venture outside of the FitzRandolph Gate, giving students the opportunity to serve the immediate community, or as Breakout trips do, the nation. These extracurricular programs have a significant presence on campus and can provide eye-opening opportunities for students. But a Breakout trip should not be the first time that a Princeton student has real-world experience with theoretical concepts — service and learning should be connected, and community involvement should be a part of the regular Princeton curriculum. It’s a cliched complaint, but one worth revisiting: If Princeton really wants us to be in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations, shouldn’t we have experience with service and community learning in our academics?

Community learning can be any activity that pulls students outside of the classroom and into the community, or that brings real-world examples of concepts into the classroom. The range of academic fields and courses at Princeton is broad, but the concept of community learning could be applied to many. For example, the Wilson School already brings in leaders and directors of organizations, and some entrepreneurship classes invite successful investors and entrepreneurs to speak. But community learning could be implemented on a grander scale and in more courses.

Further incorporating community learning could be considered impractical or a waste of time. But for classes that have practical application — ranging subjects as diverse as civil engineering, finance, politics and many others — actual practice is invaluable. Princeton is not a vocational school or a technical college, but that does not mean we should ignore how practical implementation could further our education. Real-world application is not only good preparation for internships and jobs, but it also tests our ability to apply knowledge and solve problems. Partnering with organizations close by also serves to foster a connection between the community and the University. Community learning may be a time commitment, but it is not a waste of time.

Princeton already offers some options for community learning, but these options can only meet the needs of certain students at certain times in their Princeton career. The Community-Based Learning Initiative Program allows courses to partner with community organizations that want students to do research for them. Although this program is a great option for community learning, it’s not possible for all courses to take part — to begin a CBLI project, a course needs a community partner, and there are only so many organizations looking for research. Another opportunity for applying and integrating knowledge is the senior thesis. Of the many options for theses, seniors can design programs to implement in the real world or address issues for existing programs. But students don’t write a thesis until senior year — community-based learning should start earlier and continue throughout a Princeton education.

There is still room to expand our options for community learning. Professors and students can further an effort to have speakers, take field trips or practically apply concepts throughout the semester. Sociology or urban studies courses could visit or work with community organizations, art courses could observe art restoration and engineering courses could invite engineers currently working on projects to discuss confronting the challenges of real-world application. At Princeton we have labs for physical science classes, but practical experience outside of the sciences could function as a multi-disciplinary “lab” — an opportunity to apply concepts and analyze results.

Princeton’s existing programs have the same impact as the Breakout trip that Sharpless wrote about — they raise awareness and interest — but they are just the starting point. This one academic “breakout” trip is only the beginning. What follows is a system that needs to be developed. We need a system that integrates community learning and service into our four years here and, ultimately, encourages an ethic that promotes community involvement in our years after Princeton.

Sarah Schwartz is a freshman from Silver Spring, Md. She can be reached at seschwar@princeton.edu