I hope that Gary Miller and others are correct about the outcomes of
service-learning, and certainly that is a driving force behind many of us,
namely creating a context and framework for building "social capital".
However, I think that the issues raised by our colleague at Rutgers and by
Harry Boyte and others should remind us, as do Bellah, et al in Habits of
the Heart, that community service, especially some of what I assign my
students to do in course embedded service, as well as internships, can be
very individualistically oriented. Putnam and others are reminding us that
we need to address the collaborative, community building aspect often
associated with citizenship and community organizing. If service becomes
the end in itself, instead of community building and a deepening sense of
mutuality and "common fate", then we should re-examine our assumptions and
practices. I hope that Dwight, Janet, and others can help us see in the
longitudinal studies whether those trends which Putnam identifies persists
for our service-learning alums, or whether they do indeed become the agents
and creators of "social capital", social transformation, and community
building. One way I have tried to address this is to talk very explicitly
with my students about public policies, citizenship and the importance of
participating in precinct caucuses, voting, and the public domain,
connecting that to the citizenship mission of education. I also invite
community organizers and active board members and citizens from the areas
where the students are serving, ask these community colleagues to talk
specifically what they and their colleagues are able to accomplish with
their collaborations and coalitions. And, finally, I try to find placement
sites where my students see what happens when citizens and residents work
together to meet their goals, e.g., a charter school, a neighborhood
organization, a non-profit focused on community building, etc....What do
others of you do to "create social capital" as part of your pedagogical
approach? I would like to add more and become even more self conscious of
this agenda. Shalom, Garry
Garry Hesser
Professor of Sociology and Urban Studies &
Director of Experiential Education
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-330-1664; fax: 612-330-1784; home: 612-721-4905
hesser@augsburg.edu