preview

The Importance Of A Civic Engagement Opportunity As A Supplement For Traditional Lecture And Reading Materials Essay

Better Essays

The Civic Engagement assignment illustrates the value of incorporating a civic engagement opportunity as a supplement to traditional lecture and reading materials. While this assignment differs from service learning, the civic learning that takes place during the semester leads to the development of knowledge, skills, and community contacts that are necessary for active citizenship. As described throughout this paper, despite the passive-sounding title of courtroom “observation,” this assignment requires significant interaction and engagement with court personnel to be completed successfully.
Since my father is a sheriff’s deputy, it was easy for me to gain clearance to sit in the jury’s box and to watch criminal plea charges. The process I observed was startling because I did not imagine that, in one morning, a single courtroom could go through almost five pages of client sentences (approximately forty clients). In addition, I gained a better understanding of how courts operate without the presence of a jury. Still, I was confused; What is the purpose of the judicial center? Who else is involved? Are charges fairly made?
It was 7:30 a.m. on Monday, November 7, 2016. I woke up, took a cold shower, put on my formal attire, and then left with my father to go to the judicial center at the McDonough Square. By 8:00 a.m., my father introduced me to the sheriff deputies that had scanned me into the building. Officer Thomas Palmer, also called “Tiny,” acted as my tour

Get Access