Kingsborough has established criteria for all courses that fulfill the Civic Engagement (CE)
graduation requirement, which emphasizes the qualities of “social awareness, acceptance of
social responsibility, and active participation in meeting the challenges of a modern society.” The
College has established three analytical “domains” for the exploration of civic engagement:
Political Knowledge, Vivic Knowledge, and Social Responsibility.
The domain we have chosen for BIO 14 Civic Engagement certified courses is “Social responsibility”.

The Reflective Essay In Biology 14 CE Courses

One requirement of KCC CE courses is that they include a “reflective essay” as a concluding experience of the course.  KCC’s description of the “reflective essay” requirement is as follows:

In order to encourage greater faculty and staff participation in developing civic engagement learning experiences, as well as to promote basic standards for civic engagement at KCC, a reflective essay containing the following questions will serve as the common assessment for all civic engagement experiences. A rubric has been developed to help faculty and staff assess civic engagement through the common essay. Faculty may add additional questions that meet the needs of their courses. In order to encourage the development and refinement of CE courses, faculty will have the opportunity to work with faculty peers who have been working on civic engagement. 

 

Students in all CE courses, including Biology 14 CE Courses, are required to reflect in writing on the following: 

 

1. Briefly describe how your class addressed social responsibility. You can reference an assignment, class discussion, and/or project in your answer. 
2. Explain how the course expanded your understanding of social responsibility.
3. Thinking about your course and the information presented about social responsibility, how could you use this information to improve your community, address social problems, or promote equality?