About Praxis

The Marist College Praxis Project is part of a nationwide effort to combine academic study with community service activities. Each semester, several Marist College professors volunteer to offer their courses under the Praxis option. Students enrolled in these Praxis courses are given opportunities to integrate community service activities into their academic work. A typical Praxis assignment requires a student to: Engage in twelve hours of community service (about two hours per week for six weeks) Keep a journal of reflections about the service experience Attend two one-hour roundtable discussions with other Praxis learners Complete a paper or presentation that integrates the service experience with appropriate academic materials such as class readings or theoretical research. Students usually find the Praxis experience rewarding, because it is an "eye opener" to a vast array of community needs and service opportunities, and because the "real world" relevance of class readings and theoretical research often becomes quite vivid. Sometimes, students discover commitments to community service that long outlast the deadlines for their Praxis assignments.