GLENDALE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF
ENGLISH
ENGLISH 101
-- SPRING, 1989
FINAL
EXAMINATION
VOLUNTARISM
Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman who visited the United States in the nineteenth century and who wrote a book, Democracy in America, about his impressions, first noticed the American habit of forming what he called "voluntary associations" to accomplish ends that the very wealthy accomplished by themselves in Europe. in this new form of organization, Tocqueville observed, "private citizens, by combining together, may constitute bodies of great wealth, influence, and strength, corresponding to the persons of an aristocracy" (342). Americans in the early years of the new country, seeing work that needed to be done, looked to themselves rather than to their fledgling government. We continue to contribute both time and money to charitable organizations and institutions, as a 1986 Good Housekeeping Magazine article illustrates. Cataloging volunteer organizations and highlighting their most innovative programs, the article notes that "volunteerism is an essential part of American life" (112).
Several bills currently before the U. S. Congress address the issue of voluntarism as it affects college students. President Bush has proposed programs to encourage community service, but more important is the bill introduced by Sen. San Nunn (Georgia) and Rep. Dave McCurdy (Oklahoma). The Citizenship and National Service Act would tie student financial aid to volunteer community service. Thus, the issue of voluntarism is one about which college students should become informed, and that is the purpose of this assignment.
Students can approach this topic in a number of ways. What follows are four suggestions:
1. Freewrite --For five or ten minutes about your experiences volunteering. Have you helped raise money for a worthy cause? Collected food or clothing for those less fortunate? Donated blood? Distributed flyers?
2. Read the attached material about volunteerism. Summarize the main points of the articles. Write a summary of the material in the table. Look up "associations" or "social service organizations" in the Yellow Pages. Make a list of as many opportunities for volunteering in the valley as you can think of.
3. Interview one or two people you know well who contribute their time on a regular basis. What do they do when they volunteer? How much time do they contribute? What are the rewards? What do the organizations gain from their volunteers?
4. Think about how you would go about volunteering for a worthy cause. choose something that matters to you. find out what kind of work that organization has for volunteers. (If you call such organizations, do not mislead them if you are not intending to actually give your time. Be honest about what you are doing, investigating the subject of voluntarism.)
These strategies will help you learn about the topic of voluntarism. As you talk to people or read articles, pay attention to the different forms that the word volunteer can take. We volunteer our time as Scout leaders (verb). Volunteers do most of the work in political campaigns (noun). Enlisting in the military is now voluntary (adjective). Many college students voluntarily donate blood for the American Red Cross (adverb). These activities of the "independent sector" are called both volunteerism or voluntarism. Practice using these forms in your freewriting and summaries.
In English 101 this semester, students have thought and written about topics in at least four ways. They have investigated the causes or effects leading to or following from certain actions; they have grouped similar things into classes or categories; they have looked at similarities and differences between two things; and they have developed a theses and supported it with examples or reasons. In addition, some students may have defined terms, explained a process, described an object or situation, or argued a position. All of these ways of thinking will help in preparing for the final exam.
When you come to the final examination, you will be assigned one of four specific questions to write on, all on the subject of voluntarism. Generally, you may be asked to
- analyze the causes or effects of something related to the use of volunteers;
- classify something related to volunteer organizations;
- compare or contrast aspects of volunteer activities;
- develop a thesis about voluntarism and support it with examples or reasons.
You may bring this handout (with minimal markings) into the exam and a 3" x 5" file card with additional notes on one side only. A dictionary and thesaurus will be provided, but you may bring yours if you wish.
BACK to Final Report on Common Final