Final Essay(1000 word)

Reflective Essay Guidelines – Devils in Disguise

This essay is worth 25 points. Due Friday, April 26 by 11:59 PM

Similar to your 1st essay, this final essay (1000-1250 words) should be in the 1st person. Use the word ‘I’. Be reflective. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings before your service began, as you served, and after your service ended. Also, reflect on the SDGs and the articles you’ve read, the films, and the discussions or lectures. Which goal or goals (and they’re usually overlapping) do you think a service like the one you observed and at which you participated, are being met in part by the service you and others performed? Why? How? Make connections between your service and the Sustainable Development Goals. Does this work matter?

Part 1 — What was your service, their mission? Who do they serve? How did it go when you arrived? Was the event organized, etc…? How many students, what did you do, etc…? (Part 1: 5 points)

Part 2 — For the bulk of this essay, come back to the idea of ‘whose responsibility is it’. What levels of society should be stewards of people and the planet? In this class, we’ve looked at a lot of examples of vulnerable populations worldwide. We had a section on non-profit organization and their roles. 

Incorporate a minimum of 4 articles, films, links, etc, that discuss some aspect of ‘civil society’ or that show government or corporate responsibility or lack of it with regards to some of the issues we’ve covered and organizations you’ve served in. As in your first essay, benchmark – ‘who else is doing similar work, or what laws are in place, or not, etc…, and what does research show about the impact of this work? Feel free to dip into former posts and articles to support your argument.

Include the links/articles at the bottom of your essay. (Part 2: 15 points)

Part 3 – Wrap it Up: Summarize what you’ve written. What do you conclude is a path to accomplishing the SDGs? What is the value of non-profit organization, and community service, and this whole experience in general, while at the same time remembering the theme of this course, World Crises, and if and how this small-scale, local activity is of any value. Examples are always illustrative and strengthen one’s argument. (Part 3: 5 points)