February 18, 2026 | Olivia Drake

Smith to Develop Perspectives on Gender-Based Violence Course as 2026 Service Learning Fellow

The new course, developed by Service Learning Fellow Ellen Smith, will include a service-learning component that connects students with community organizations working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence

gender-based violence

The new SOWK course examines gender-based violence through a social justice lens. (Adobe Stock photo)

To support the development of a new community-engaged course on gender-based violence, UConn’s Office of Outreach and Engagement named Ellen Smith, associate professor-in-residence in the UConn School of Social Work, a 2026 Service Learning Fellow.

This year-long program supports faculty who are designing, enhancing, or teaching community-engaged courses. Through training, mentorship, peer learning, and partnership support, Fellows explore best practices in service learning and community engagement and learn how to integrate these approaches into their teaching, research, and public service.

Ellen Smith
Ellen Smith will teach the new course during the 2027-8 academic year.  (Olivia Drake/UConn photo)

In addition to the fellowship, Smith received a Provost Common Curriculum Grant to support the development of the new course which examines gender-based violence through a social justice lens. The course, SOWK 2XXX: Social Work Perspectives on Gender-Based Violence, emphasizes reflective learning, dialogue, and applied practice, and will include a service-learning component that connects students with community organizations in the Hartford area working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, as well as with initiatives within the University.

“The course originated in a desire to involve students on the Hartford campus with work that is being done at UConn around the prevention of sexual violence and harassment,” Smith says.  “The service-learning component of the course has expanded to encourage students to engage with community-based responses to the issue as well.  I hope that this experience will allow students to apply what they learn in the classroom about gender-based violence as a social justice issue, while making a meaningful contribution to the Hartford campus and to the community.”

The Service Learning Fellowship Program also helps faculty build leadership capacity while being recognized as campus leaders in community-engaged pedagogy.

The 2026 cohort, made up of seven Fellows, launched Jan. 31 with a retreat at Hands On Hartford, a longtime community partner. The retreat focused on strengthening university–community relationships and deepening faculty understanding of community-engaged teaching. Staff from Hands On Hartford led discussions about their work, local community needs, and strategies for meaningful collaboration between universities and community organizations. Holding the retreat on site allowed Fellows to engage directly with the organization and its mission.

Smith already teaches Human Behavior in the Social Environment and Advanced Practice with Individuals, Groups, and Families, among other courses, and provides academic and field advising to master’s-level students.

Smith will teach the course during the 2027-2028 academic year.

“Gender-based violence remains one of the most pressing social justice issues of our time,” says Laura Curran, dean of the UConn School of Social Work. “Preparing social work students to address its root causes, support survivors, and engage in prevention efforts is essential to our mission. Dr. Smith’s course will prepare future social workers to confront these realities with competence, compassion, and a commitment to systemic change.”