Developing good citizens is an historic role for higher education (Sullivan & Rosin, 2008) and the emergence of service-learning as a pedagogical strategy has heightened attention to the intentional educational objectives to be addressed in higher education. This article examines the role of service-learning in developing philanthropic values…

We study one aspect of the relationship between theory and politics, in order to begin to address this issue of political science education--specifically focusing on whether participation in the election process as voting monitors, combined with political science education, can help students better understand politics as democratic engagement. In…

This article introduces the Citizen Scholars Program, a 2-year service-learning and leadership development program that integrates theory and practice to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and vision the authors believe they need in order to build community, be effective citizens, and advocate for social justice. The authors present 16…

Within the last decade, service-learning has experienced impressive growth in higher education, particularly within communication departments. According to Jacoby (1996), service-learning is a "form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities…

In the United States, there are approximately 244 Catholic colleges and universities that together form an "incomparable centre of creativity and dissemination of knowledge for the good of humanity." These societies of scholars and learners are not cloisters removed from civic life; they are apostolic in nature, called to "an institutional…

This paper examines a burgeoning network of organizations that is inventing new forms of community renewal and citizenship education. Their names vary--some call themselves public policy institutes, others centers for civic life--yet they share a common methodology, one aimed at tackling tough public issues, strengthening communities, and…

Drawing upon the writings of Maxine Greene and Paolo Freire, this article explores the necessary conditions for the advancement of education for democracy in the context of modern post-industrial societies, with a focus on schooling in the Republic of Ireland. The article charts a general topography of the Republic of Ireland in relation to the…

The lack of national attention to preparing future faculty for their roles as citizen-scholars represents a significant missed opportunity. Whereas graduate student involvement in engaged teaching and research, such as service-learning or community-based research, likely has immediate benefits for retention and learning, this article focuses on…

Adult volunteers who work as experiential educators in Public Achievement (PA) told us about their experiences, and we contrasted these with the stated aims of Public Achievement, young peoples' experiences, and what it is like to be an adult volunteer. PA coaches reflected that there was a significant disjuncture between the official aims of PA…

This book explores four interrelated themes: rethinking civic education in light of the diversity of U.S. society; re-examining these notions in an increasingly interconnected global context; re-considering the ways that civic education is researched and practiced; and taking stock of where we are currently through use of an historical…

In this article, the authors call for tying service learning to feminist agendas, emphasizing civic activism involving true collaboration with communities. They report on a graduate seminar, "Feminism and Composition," at their own university that worked toward this goal by having students self-reflectively participate in local organizations that…

Service learning in higher education can be a powerful method of citizen education, by building students' concrete civic skills in the areas of intellectual understanding, communication and problem solving, and civic attitudes of judgment and imagination. A basic condition is that broad definitions of service and citizenship be assumed, and used…

"Active Citizenship Today" (ACT) is a service learning program for the social studies. There are two things that make ACT different from other service learning programs: (1) the "learning" in service -- learning refers to traditional social studies content and skills (it is a civics model); and (2) ACT is built around a problem-solving framework.…

The Anthropology Department at Western Michigan University has sponsored an annual archaeological field school since the mid-1970s. Over the past decade, students have worked with community and government organizations, learning to apply archaeological methods to real world problems to preserve and interpret significant heritage sites. They come…