Service-based learning is giving Trinity undergrads an opportunity to have an impact on the world outside the classroom
by Stephanie J. Silverman
Is housing a human right? What is the lowest “reasonably possible” level of risk when drilling for oil in the Arctic? How does the Ontario bail system stigmatize drug-using women? As we look to innovate and save money on healthcare, what ethics should guide peer supporters for at-risk communities? What strings are attached when a multinational oil company approaches an Indigenous HIV-awareness group with a funding offer?
While these questions may sound like federal issues for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, at Trinity fourth-year students are exploring—and in some cases answering—them as part of their course requirements for the Community Research Partnerships in Ethics capstone course of the Ethics, Society and Law program (ES&L).
Navigating Countless Shades of Grey
The Community Research Partnerships in Ethics (CRPE) is a by-invitation course for fourth-year ES&L students. Each year, between 12 and 15 high-achieving undergraduates are invited into the program, and then partnered with a community organization and a faculty supervisor.
The CRPE teams work together to empower the student to “learn by doing” at their community partner’s work site; develop a research tool that explores the partner’s social justice concerns (such as an examination of neighbouring jurisdictions’ policies or a survey of related court cases and their outcomes); and write a Master’s-level research paper on a relevant issue.
In the first semester, CRPE students take a methods course to strengthen their upper-level reading, writing, researching, and active-participation skills. They also take a series of classes designed to develop their transferable skills. These classes are collaborations between the CRPE Coordinator and a range of Trinity stalwarts, including Instructional and Reader Services Librarian Courtney Lundrigan, Career and Academic Advisor Jon Bray, and Learning Strategist Jonathan Vandor. The students learn how to navigate professional environments, and receive training on soft (email etiquette) and harder (Excel and data entry) workplace skills.
They also begin 40 hours of service-based learning, during which students assist their community partners with researchrelated tasks and participate in social action and strategies for improving access to social justice on the ground. In so doing, CRPE students hone the valuable workplace skills of communication, professionalism and time management.
In the second semester, the focus switches to drafting the original research papers due at the end of the academic year. Topics have included everything from de-stigmatizing women leaving Ontario correctional centres and multicultural representation at Toronto City Hall to the health economics of first responders in Thunder Bay and analyzing reports into municipal ethics controversies in Toronto. CRPE students then deliver their research presentations to peers, partners and faculty supervisors in a supportive environment designed to elicit formative feedback. When the course concludes in April, many students continue their involvements with their community partners via interning, volunteering or paid employment.
Students consistently report that CRPE has improved their competence and confidence, and helped them identify a clearer path for their lives after undergraduate studies. All emerge with the unique knowledge gained from first-hand learning that ethical, legal, social, and policy issues are rarely black or white. “This has been the best academic experience of my undergraduate career,” says Jason Stephanian (ES&L and Philosophy, 2019), expressing his hope that “more students are given this incredible opportunity.”
Strengthening Laws to Help Protect the Environment
For Ryan Chan (ES&L, 2018), participating in the CRPE’s activities meant a chance to work with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) where he conducted high-level research on one of the organization’s important objectives: evaluating and strengthening Canada’s Frontier and Offshore Regulatory Renewal Initiative (FORRI).
“My work with the WWF focused on the appropriateness of the Government of Canada’s proposed risk management mechanism that requires operators to ensure ‘as low as reasonably practicable’ (ALARP) levels of risk,” Chan explains.
During discussions with the WWF, Chan noted concerns the organization had with the way the term “reasonable” was used in FORRI. It was a subject he was prepared to tackle. “In ES&L we have been taught time and time again that ambiguity in the law can be quite problematic and have encountered difficulties with the term ‘reasonable’ many times,” he says.
Armed with this knowledge, Chan helped the WWF explore the issue through his CRPE coursework. “I thought it would be interesting to examine what this unique combination of words—‘as low as reasonably practicable’—meant, and to examine its applicability from various lenses,” he says. “While writing my paper, I was in constant contact with the WWF, updating them on my findings. They, in turn, were in contact with the federal government. Ultimately, my CRPE research rejected ALARP in its current form as morally problematic, inconsistent with international practices, and lacking in legal clarity.”
Chan’s research proved so helpful to the WWF that his findings made up a notable component of the organization’s response to FORRI, which it submitted to the federal government.
Now in his first year at U of T’s Faculty of Law, Chan is continuing his work with the WWF, completing another paper on Canada’s offshore oil and gas liability regimes. In his Law classes he is among some familiar faces—four of his CRPE classmates are also attending U of T Law. “The research and writing skills we developed in CRPE will be invaluable in law school in terms of reading and understanding cases and legal rules quickly,” he says.
Building Reciprocal Community Partnerships
It’s not only the students who benefit from this practical program. Long-standing CRPE community partner and current Toronto Integrity Commissioner Valerie Jepson describes the experience as invaluable as well: “For the City of Toronto, participating in the CRPE program provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the work that we do and encourages much-needed academic research and study in the area [of public sector ethics]. I have benefited greatly from working with CRPE students. They consistently approach the work with a welcome curiosity and candour that is valuable to gaining perspective on how public sector ethics is understood and viewed in society generally.”
The diverse communities Trinity serves through its CRPE relationships are a testament to the College’s commitment to enhance social justice work with research. CRPE partners include institutional ethical actors (the offices of the Toronto and Ontario Integrity Commissioners); national and international advocates (Community Justice Initiatives, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, and the World Wildlife Fund); nonpartisan thinktanks (the Mosaic Institute); and grassroots social justice organizations (the Centre for Social Innovation, the Migrants Resource Centre Canada, Out of the Cold Foundation, Pieces to
Pathways, the Rights of Non-Status Women Network, and Supporting East End Neighbourhoods).
Supporting Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action
CRPE faculty members also value the program’s relationships with Indigenous led and -serving organizations, including the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network and Elevate NWO. These partnerships—and the Indigenous-led research they generate—reflect the College’s efforts to realize the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations on higher education.
Akshay Sharma, Director of Operations for the Mosaic Institute, a non-profit that promotes diversity, says his organization continues to partner with the CRPE because of its belief in encouraging students to “approach previously unexplored frontiers, both personal and professional.”
Former Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholars and current CRPE students Gina Kwon (ES&L, 2019) and Zara Narain (ES&L, 2019) are researching different aspects of institutional and structural Indigenous discrimination with Dr. Anita Benoit (Dalla Lana School of Public Health) and Holly Gauvin (Elevate NWO).
For Kwon, who is off to the University of Cambridge next year, a key benefit of CRPE is the chance to learn through different, sometimes unconventional, methods, such as oral histories and human interaction. “Dr. Benoit’s direct, professional guidance and her passion for the work of de-colonizing methodologies and addressing Indigenous health inequities has been influential and inspiring,” she says.
Adds Narain, “The experience of being welcomed into a bright, supportive, multi-disciplinary team based in both Toronto and Thunder Bay has been an unparalleled opportunity for me.” Both students appreciate the freedom to explore their intellectual interests while remaining grounded and accountable to the communities being served.
Unique Trinity Offering
One of the most laudable features of the CRPE is the scaffolding of numerous book- and experience-based components into a cohesive, one-year program. The course falls under the pedagogical category of experiential learning, also known as Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) or servicebased learning. WIL courses are gaining in popularity across Ontario, especially since the Province’s Ministry of Education is prioritizing these sorts of courses in high school and university.
As a year-long, full-credit course, the CRPE is neither a co-op placement nor an unpaid internship. It is distinctive from other WIL offerings through its multi-headed integration of servicebased learning, robust research and analytic skills development, and community-based research aimed at providing original studies for social justice partners. It also observes many WIL best practices by reserving time for reflective learning.
Dr. Michael Ratcliffe, Dean of Arts at Trinity, sees the program’s potential. “The CRPE program has been an exciting opportunity for our students to engage with local community organizations in a meaningful way,” he says. “Over the years, we have been grateful to the University of Toronto and the Faculty of Arts and Science, who have supported the program through a range of short-term funding initiatives. The value of this type of course is clear, especially given the emphasis placed on experiential learning by the provincial government, and we would certainly hope to have the resources available to be able to continue the program in the long term.” “Our CRPE students are creating meaningful links between the great work being done here at Trinity and the larger community we are all part of,” says Provost Mayo Moran, herself a long-time faculty supervisor in the CRPE. “Creating bonds like these is not only a huge benefit for both student and partner, it is also an amazing learning opportunity for some of our best students, giving them the chance to put ideas into practice.”
Dr. Stephanie J. Silverman is Interim Associate Director of the Ethics, Society and Law program, and Course Coordinator for the Community Research Partnerships in Ethics.
Spring 2019
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