International Pedagogy: Nonprofits in Civil Society - A Guatemalan Case Study

Authors

  • Teresa VanHorn
  • Elaine Elliott

Abstract

International courses, particularly in developing countries, can facilitate the achievement of complex learning goals that will benefit nonprofit management students. To be effective, such courses require careful design and management. Students enrolled in such courses may gain a deeper understanding of the context of their workplace in the United States and may be challenged to exercise their leadership to make positive changes in our globalized world. In the modern context of interconnectedness, even universities have become committed to providing international education. From the mission and core values of the University of San Diego International Center, we selected the following learning goals to design our international courses:

  • promoting awareness, appreciation, and respect for the complexity of cultural, political, environmental, and social issues worldwide
  • building theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in today’s global society (University of San Diego, 2010)

In the design of these courses, we particularly wanted students to understand the context of post civil war society in Guatemala, with its strong economic and ethnic divisions, and the practical role that nonprofit leaders currently play in rebuilding the country. The example of the creative work of these nonprofit leaders could serve as models for developing the leadership skills of our students.

This paper examines our journey to achieve these learning goals from a sequence of experiences over a two-year period:

  1. Proposing a course in Guatemala and taking an exploratory trip (June 2007).
  2. Cross-listing two service learning courses from the disciplines of Nonprofit Management and Sociology, classes that included undergraduates and graduates (January 2008).
  3. Analyzing student journals, reflections, papers, and evaluations that showed the impact of the courses, including the impact of the encounter with people in a postconflict environment.
  4. Revising the course for graduate nonprofit management students and shortening the amount of time spent in Guatemala (January 2009).
  5. Analyzing student responses.

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