Talking Point 5

Talking Point #5 In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

Premise:
• Community Service
• Improving society
• Lending a Hand
• Culture-bearers
• Stereotypes
• Politics
• Democracy
• Experiences
• Citizenship
• Homelessness
• Community Curricula
• Moral emphasis
• Giving Back to Society
• Intellectual transformation
• Empathy
• Bringing people together

Author’s Argument:
Kahne and Westheimer argue that service learning is great for the community as a whole seeing as it provides students with a chance to grow morally, become more active politically as democratic citizens, and become intellectually enlightened by erasing the stereotypes that are in place regarding many different social groups. This type of service will lead not only for improvements to individual students, but also the communities in which they live.

Evidence:
1. “Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling.”
2. The example of the student who went to a senior home to serve them their Thanksgiving dinners and the experience was structured to promote giving rather than to provide the kind of understanding need for the development of caring relationships.
3. Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article views the idea of community service and service learning as salient to help provide a better atmosphere in the overall society. It teaches students to become active and better citizens by donating some of their time to a good cause. This article overall was a very easy read and had a clear message that service learning is a good way of showing altruism and becoming active in the surrounding community. It relates to other texts that we have read such as the Johnson article that notes action is necessary if we are to change stereotypes and to have a reshuffling of the ideals in society. I think that overall the reading is an empowering piece that needs to be implemented in order for society in general to be bettered.