Civic learning: Find your passion through service.

Have you helped a neighbor, volunteered in your community, adopted a planet-healthy habit or participated in a protest? If so, you already get the basics when it comes to civic learning, which you’ll hear about a lot at Dominican University.

What is Civic Learning?

Furthering a collaboration between the university and the community, civic learning fuses lessons you learn in class with service projects that help people and the planet. The goal is to give you the experience and tools to be an ethical and engaged global citizen while you’re at Dominican and after you graduate.

mentor reading to children

Be a mentor.

Impact children’s lives by assisting in their classrooms or afterschool programs.

It’s volunteer work and internships.

Get experience in your major while also helping people in the community. Dominican partners with more than 50 organizations to create meaningful opportunities to tutor, mentor, build, advocate and assist in a variety of ways. These experiences will give you firsthand opportunities to understand complex social issues. Civic learning introduces you to the people behind those issues, which builds understanding, empathy and a passion for important service work.

Create meaningful change.

Through an internship, Dominican students find their calling and strengthen an underserved community.

It’s immersion experiences.

Earn credit through Alternative Break Immersion projects during fall, spring and summer breaks. Join peers and educators to explore the roots of social issues like civil rights and immigration. Follow the path of the Civil Rights movement through the South. Engage in service work in other countries like Guatemala and Mexico or in other US cities like New Orleans. New opportunities are available annually.

Cross borders.

Dominican students discover new complexities about the immigration process while working in Mexico.

It’s experiential learning.

Some courses in Spanish, nursing, psychology and other subjects require weekly service work at an approved agency. The work ties directly back to course content. It is mission-driven and resume-building. It’s beneficial because it bridges your academic life with social justice work while giving you opportunities to engage with clients, public leaders, human service agencies and public advocacy groups.

students at nursing camp

Live Dominican’s mission.

Nursing students engage in a unique clinical rotation, staffing a summer camp for children with disabilities.

It’s high-impact opportunities.

The Willenborg Civic Learning Academy offers student fellows paid internships and mentorship opportunities. Dominican’s Willenborg Faculty Fellows create and deliver courses and experiences related to activism, democratic engagement and initiatives aimed at enhancing the public good.

Nathaly and Brianna

Lead change.

Explore complex issues through paid, hands-on opportunities.

It’s an academic minor.

At Dominican, you can pursue a minor in Social Justice and Civic Engagement. This opens doors to professional opportunities in international relations, international business, nonprofit organizations, governmental institutions, community organizing, teaching, urban planning, law, politics, social work, ministry and contemporary social sciences.

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Youth Center

Identify new goals.

Discover your own personal mission.

It’s supported by scholarships.

Dominican’s emphasis on civic learning has been a defining feature for generations. We’re so invested that we ensure your work is supported by scholarships. You can apply for an Excellence in Experiential Learning (ExcEL) Scholar Awards, for example, to study abroad or pursue a project outside of the classroom.

Discover life-changing experiences.

ExcEL Scholar Regan Coxon ’23 shadowed oral healthcare providers in Kenya and discovered a new interest in global health.
Angelica Moreno headshot

Find your voice.

ExcEL scholar Angelica Moreno ’23 engaged in political advocacy work, furthering humane and environmentally responsible policies.

It’s a whole mood.

Civic learning infiltrates the culture at Dominican. Our professors care a lot about how other people and the planet get treated. They build this value into their curriculum. Civic learning will help you give compassionate service and create a more just and humane world. That’s a big goal; it’s also our mission. You’ll experience it in big and small ways throughout your time at Dominican.

Tijuana service trip

Serve others.

Find yourself.

Ready to learn more?

Visit DU Impact to learn more about opportunities available with Dominican’s Civic Learning partners.