Service-Learning Essentials: Questions, Answers, and Lessons Learned

Chapter 8 Facing the Complexities and Dilemmas of Service-Learning

As service-learning has “come of age,” in the words of Furco, the topics in related literature and conference presentations have tended to deeper and more critical analysis of its purpose, practice, and possibilities (2011, p. ix). Well-respected service-learning educators and researchers—including Dan W. Butin, Nadinne Cruz, Susan R. Jones, Tania D. Mitchell, Trae Stewart, and Nicole Webster—encourage us to question, “trouble,” and “problematize” service-learning. They urge us to reflect deeply and critically on its complexities and dilemmas in order to advance our practice in ways that allow us to reap its potential benefits for students, communities, and higher education ...