Community Service and Higher Learning: Explorations of the Caring Self

By Robert A. Rhoads

Book Overview

Portrays the experiences and development of students as they commit themselves to community service during their college years.

In Community Service and Higher Learning, Robert A. Rhoads examines the experiences of students as they commit themselves to community service during their college years. The author explores how a student's sense of self may be challenged through involvement in the lives of others within the context of community service relationships. Central to his "explorations of the self" is the role "caring" plays as a source of self understanding and identity development.

Drawing upon classic symbolic interactionists such as George Herbert Mead as well as contemporary feminists such as Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings, Rhoads suggests ways in which the self might be reconsidered with an ethic-of-care philosophy at its core. He argues that higher education ought to play a key role in fostering more relational and caring individuals and that community service offers a pedagogical opportunity for encouraging the development of more caring selves. He maintains that as society becomes increasingly complex, diverse, and potentially fragmented, caring becomes a more important facet of one's sense of self than perhaps ever before. It is only through an increasing concern for the other (the essence of caring) that one is able to bridge the relational barriers posed by the postmodern condition.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791435229
• ISBN13: 9780791435229
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.1"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!

This is a fantastic book from a master of qualitative research. In addition to the important substance of the book, Rhoads' skillful writing style adds to the value of the content, particluarly in the way he weaves his personal story and relationship to the to subject into the text.

Excellent reminder of the need for caring in today's society

A majority of us have all heard or are familiar with the well-versed cliche, "change is a good thing." Certainly this statement holds merit in varied scenarios such as changing one's wardrobe, profession, household or the like. But, let us extend the parameters beyond the personal, individualistic realm of the person, and bring forth a bird's-eye-view of the macroscopic world which we inhabit-- namely society. Hence, with this in mind, the remaining components of this essay shall limelight the main ingredient which is absent in much of today's materialistic culture-- the ideal, the moral of caring. Step into the time machine, and allow the invention to transport us back to the 1950s, an epoch of jukeboxes, soda machines and rock and roll. The hearts and souls of most Americans at that time was filled with the proud accomplishment of having won the Second World War, and a general sense of patriotism filled the American psyche. Along this vein of thought, the 1950s was also posed as a period where the attribute of caring for another was a top priority, neighbors were well-versed with each others' names, faces and colleagues congregated around an apple pie or background barbecue was not uncommon. Now, contrast that to the world of today. In this scenario, the change does not herald a warm metamorphosis. Now enter into the realm of the 1990s, a society which is filled and brimming with the flipside of the 1950s: hatred, suspicion and isolation of one man from the other. Clearly, a stark contrast exists, and a rallying cry for restoration of a more heedful and conscientious society is put forth via the pen of Professor Robert A. Rhoads, specializing in the Department of Education at Michigan State University. Within the pages of his distinguished novel, "Community Service and Higher Learning," Rhoads (and I personally enjoyed these) commenced each chapter with anecdotal snippets of his youth, in which he described the agony and humility of his tortured youth, as he and his family struggled to make do with their meager subsistence. Despite the overwhelming odd of extreme poverty, Rhoads, through the sheer tenacity of his spirit, rose the socio-economic ladder to success and reflecting upon his tormented childhood years, built the basis for the foundation of his literary piece. Within the pages of his text, Rhoads injects the experiences of other individuals (mainly college students)in the quest for community service and caring, delivering case studies and personal interviews to enhance the reality and scope of these volunteer efforts. In complement, Rhoads also carries to the forefront a varied array of concepts and ideals which he holds true to his re-establishment of an ethic of caring in today's merciless society. Thus, in many aspects, Rhoads strikes a cord of reminiscience toward an ancient Chinese belief, one which has been implemented into me by my mother: the philosophy lies in the lilly plant. As any botanist will defen