Teaching students about complexity: Reflections about an interdisciplinary community service learning studio in East St Louis, Illinois

Teaching students to understand and fully engage various dimensions of dynamic urban complexity requires a pedagogy that imparts a deeper understanding than traditional lecture coursework. This paper presents a comprehensive set of class exercises and an evaluation of student learning related to urban complexity in the context of interdisciplinary service learning studios. Analyzing the processes and products employed in the class, student course reflections and responses from alumni interviews find most students effectively engaged with the dynamic urban complexity of East St. Louis, Illinois. They also reflect on tangible and intangible outcomes for neighborhood residents and lessons learned by the faculty members involved.