Introduction to Integrating Community Service into the Curriculum: International Perspectives on Humanizing Education

Abstract

Students from the new generation who enter a university belong to the so-called net generation and are digital natives (Selwyn, 2009). They are equipped with new technologies and expect that technology becomes a part of their education. The most concerning thing in our society is not about economic or social crisis but a spiritual emptiness and a feeling of hopelessness which are permeating the young learners of our society. There is a need for a rational value system that is based on humanistic values that need to be inculcated into the curriculum (Danica & Sazhko, 2013). With concepts like globalization and internationalization taking precedence, there is a need for advancement of knowledge, skills and competencies based on humanistic education (Blessinger, 2019). Humanistic education developed several decades ago as a reaction to unhealthy environments and exposure to detrimental conditions in education (Patterson, 1987). This book has authors from across the globe writing about theories concerning humanizing of pedagogy, exploring the impact of service-learning among undergraduates and emphasizing the development of responsibility to self and others, as well as the promotion of critical thinking, through pedagogically appropriate interventions. The intention of this book is to better understand the educational shift that is occurring in our society toward creating humanizing conditions though pedagogy.

Citation

Sengupta, E., Blessinger, P. and Makhanya, M. (2020), "Introduction to Integrating Community Service into the Curriculum: International Perspectives on Humanizing Education", Sengupta, E., Blessinger, P. and Makhanya, M. (Ed.) Integrating Community Service into Curriculum: International Perspectives on Humanizing Education (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 25), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120200000025001