Civic Engagement

St. Mary’s is a Marianist and liberal arts university that prides itself with teaching well rounded students to use their gifts and god given talents to not only help themselves, but their communities and fellow mankind. As technology and science advance, humans are increasingly more detached from one another. It is dangerous for individuals, in this case college students, to master their chosen fields, but fail to connect their mission to the grander scheme of life. Life is more than a grade in a class and certainly more than a test score. Yet, because of ambition and lack of proper guidance to connect the dots between personal success and the common good, it is hard to realize that fact. However, there are ways to guide students, to give

Educational institutions, such as St. Mary’s, must impose requirements, such as SMC 2302 Civic Engagement and Social Action, to nurture a student 's mind and heart.

In recent years there has been a small decline in civic engagement by individuals within the Millennial generation. This could be linked to the fact that politics is usually synonymous with civic engagement, which is not always the case. The younger generation attempts to distance itself from the political sphere and thus miss out on the opportunity to use their skills to help empower people in need (Pew Research Center). Volunteerism is the alternative, in a sense, for civic engagement. Students volunteer for an hour or two per month either sorting food and clothes for the homeless, clean up efforts along creeks and other areas of nature--mainly material and short term endeavours. Volunteerism, in most cases, neglects the fact that in the long run half-hearted service and material gains do not create long term change. St. Mary’s through SMC 2302 goes beyond this by requiring civic engagement which is the “active participation in the public life of a community in an informed, committed, and constructive

The noise of the superficial world cloud a person 's engraved need and ability to use their talents to change not only their lives but those of their fellow mankind. We are “taught to view our lives as a zero-sum game” (Loeb 169). We’re either in it to win it--only one career, one life. SMC 2302 for a fact has exposed students within my section to the realities of the world, but goes a step further than most classes that attempt to teach students about the world outside our personal bubbles by outlining some of steps needed to get involved or make a change. This is why the course needs to be required. Sure a student can get involved with different organizations and give an hour or two of their time, but this course in the long run inspires and equips a new generation of leaders to be servant