Ohio University-Zanesville Family Communication Class Features

Service Learning and Debate

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From left: Evet Stotts, Ryan French, Laura Lewis, Justin Hardcastle, Professor Sheida Shirvani, Lisa Rooks, Teresa Lukac, and Terry Glidden.

“The elderly deserve respect, because they hold the wisdom of life, display good moral values, and are a vital asset to their families and communities,” says Justin Hardcastle, a student in Dr. Sheida Shirvani’s Communication in the Family course. The course exposes students to communication issues that relate to family interaction including conflict, power, intimacy, and the development of relationships. It presents a model of effective communication in the family with consideration for verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors.

Service learning is a major component of communication classes at Ohio University-Zanesville.  Students learn to communicate with their communities and become involved in service to society.  “They were also asked to try to understand the life of a senior citizen through interaction and volunteerism,” explains Shirvani, professor of Communication at Ohio University-Zanesville. “The requirements were to meet one or two hours every week with the people and to observe and assist them with their activities.”

With the cooperation of Adams Lane Care Center and the Muskingum County Home, students learned to communicate with senior citizens and gained a better understanding of the dynamics associated with growing old. “Students said they enjoyed spending their time with the residents at the centers and found new respect for the elderly,” says Shirvani. “The students learned firsthand how hard it is to live on one’s own at an advanced age.”

The visits made an impact on some of the students. In addition to gaining a new perspective on the lives of the elderly, they realized that their elderly relatives are a fountain of information and experience.  One of the students, reflecting on the assignment, wrote that the elderly population is a growing part of our society and the wealth of knowledge they have must be shared with future generations.

Students also participated in research and debate over the affects of divorce on families. Their research culminated in a debate, where they defended their group’s position on the positive and negative affect of divorce. “I never really thought there could be positive aspects to divorce,” says student Evet Stotts.

“This type of hands-on, real-life application and use of critical thinking and discussion really enhances the students’ education,” says Shirvani. “Students were so affected by their experience that several said in their evaluations that they would be keeping in contact with the people they had met or would use the networking contacts they made at the University of North Carolina, where students were debating the same topic on their campus..”

 “It was interesting to hear the students as they talked about the debate,” explains Shirvani. “The debate opened their eyes and changed their views significantly.”