HIST 220 - Ethics of Service

In this course we will discuss the ethical questions that arise when students engage in service and learning in contexts of difference. Taking our examples from Peace Corps, Teach for America, travel/study abroad, community activism and human rights work, we will read and discuss diverse perspectives on the ways that power and privilege relate to service and altruism. We will place our discussion in historical perspective while considering its implications for today’s world. We will therefore locate our inquiry within a broader historical and global framework that acknowledges traditions of philanthropy from diverse religious and cultural contexts. Our course materials will include personal memoirs and travel narratives, multi-disciplinary analytical texts, reflections on experience from study abroad participants and invited guests, films and field trips. The course will take the form of an interactive seminar and will welcome all points of view. Meets global and/or comparative history requirement. Course offered as S/N grading only. Offered annually. (4 Credits)