JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION THEORY AND PRACTICE

Transformative Community Service Learning: Beyond the “Poor,” the “Rich,”

and the Helping Dynamic

Author(s): Nancy E. Bertaux, Kathleen R. Smythe, Elaine A. Crable

Citation: Nancy E. Bertaux, Kathleen R. Smythe, Elaine A. Crable, (2012) "Transformative Community Service Learning: Beyond the “Poor,” the “Rich,”

and the Helping Dynamic," Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, Vol.12, Iss. 2, pp. 34 - 43

Article Type: Research paper

Publisher: North American Business Press

Abstract:

Service-learning in many universities has focused on student learning through “service” to the “poor.”

In both domestic and international contexts, many scholars and practitioners of community service. In both domestic and international contexts, many scholars and practitioners of community service

learning are redefining what this means to both students and communities, including considering power

dynamics between universities and community organizations and focusing more on a partnership

relationship than a hierarchical, charity model. This redefinition process promises to yield more effective,

transformative programs for students and communities. This article considers service-learning programs

in the context of the “helping dynamic;” discusses the case for a partnership, community-engagement

approach; and briefly considers how a case of one university’s international service-learning program

could be reoriented.