The Landscape of Rural Service Learning, and What It Teaches Us All (Transformations in Higher Education)

The Landscape of Rural Service Learning, and What It Teaches Us All (Transformations in Higher Education)

Randy Stoecker (Editor), Nicholas Holton (Editor), Charles Ganzert (Editor)
$49.95
Publication Date: November 1st, 2016
Publisher:
Michigan State University Press
ISBN:
9781611862201
Pages:
230

Description

Up until now, the majority of literature about service learning has focused on urban areas, while comparatively little attention has been paid to activities in rural communities. The Landscape of Rural Service Learning, and What It Teaches Us All is designed to provide a comprehensive look at rural service learning. The practices that have developed in rural areas, partly because of the lack of nonprofits and other services found in urban settings, produce lessons and models that can help us all rethink the dominant forms of service learning defined by urban contexts. Where there are few formal organizations, people end up working more directly with one another; where there is a need for services in locations where they are unavailable, service learning becomes more than just an academic exercise or assignment. This volume includes theoretical frameworks that are informed by the rural, concrete stories that show how rural service learning has developed and is now practiced, practical strategies that apply across service learning contexts, and points to ponder as we all consider our next steps along the path of meaningful service learning.
 

About the Author

Randy Stoecker is a professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a joint appointment in the University of Wisconsin–Extension Center for Community and Economic Development.
Nicholas Holton is associate dean emeritus at Kirtland Community College in Roscommon, Michigan.
Charles Ganzert is a professor in the Communication and Performance Studies Department at Northern Michigan University, where he teaches media law, audio production, documentary, and media management.
 

Praise for The Landscape of Rural Service Learning, and What It Teaches Us All (Transformations in Higher Education)

This text is a critical missing piece in the development of service learning for colleges and universities. Rural service learning has always had its unique challenges and opportunities, and it’s a pleasure to see it illuminated so well.

—Amy Smitter, Chief Operating Officer, Habitat for Humanity of Michigan



The editors have attracted an impressive and diverse group of practitioner and research scholars to examine the unique contributions and challenges of rural service learning. Their insights extend well beyond the rural experience, offering valuable lessons to all.
—Maureen F. Curley, former president, Campus Compact

This book is an exceptional contribution to an area that has been overlooked in the published literature for too long: rural service learning. An eclectic contribution from a wide variety of talented and experienced faculty members in higher education, this book is a must-read for anyone who is serious about service learning in any setting.
—Todd D. Zakrajsek, Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 

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