For the Greater Good: Locating civic engagement within Service Learning and Social Marketing within Ireland
Christine Domegan (NUI Galway), Lorraine McIlrath (NUI Galway)
Abstract
Service Learning, as a pedagogical tool, provides a means of connecting students’ academic study to community with the explicit intention of promoting active and responsible citizenship. It emanated from the United States in the 1960’s and has been mainstreamed there within primary, post primary and higher education sectors. Historically, it is strongly associated with the social sciences and arts. Less connected, and one of the last domains to fully embrace the concept of service learning is business education. However, the recent rise in literature and research in areas such as corporate social responsibility, ethics, governance, fair trading, ethical consumption and sustainability, suggest business schools are well positioned and ready to mainstream socially responsible knowledge, skills and experiences.
Within the context of Ireland, in the past, the emphasis has been placed on the role of primary and post-primary education sectors in terms of instilling in students the skills, values and attributes of active citizenship. However, over the last ten years there has been growing recognition of the potential part that service learning within higher education can play in terms of enhancing academic skills while instilling in students their sense of place as citizens beyond graduation.
This presentation will present a service learning model piloted and adopted by a business education course, namely a Marketing undergraduate course, at an institution of higher education within Ireland. Issues explored include: How should we define Service Learning in a business context? What challenges arise when we integrate Service Learning with business education? What role for community partnership? Is Service Learning a viable and feasible avenue for change: change in business, change in educational institutions, change in the communities and even change at policy level?
It will discuss the design, implementation and evaluation challenges and rewards concerned with embedding Service Learning in a Marketing curriculum. A framework to identify the key dimensions of Service Learning in a Marketing setting is presented. Finally, the authors conclude with a discussion on the potential for change in business through the adoption of Service Learning and Civic Engagement.
