Hospitality, Risk, and Justice: Rethinking Service-Learning Through the Work of Letty M. Russell and Sharon D. Welch

Abstract

In the last several decades, service-learning has become a key feature of higher education. In this article, I argue that the work of Christian feminists Letty M. Russell and Sharon D. Welch enriches current scholarship on service-learning by drawing attention to foundational ethical issues. The first section of the article provides background on service-learning at U.S. colleges and universities, identifying major values and priorities that have informed its development. The second and third sections analyze Russell’s concepts of “weaponized difference” and “deformed hospitality” alongside Welch’s “ethic of control” and “ethic of risk.” I use these concepts to interrogate prominent aspects of traditional service-learning models and craft a framework, centered on two risk questions, to aid faculty and administrators as they reimagine service-learning opportunities, particularly in Christian educational contexts.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ As the demographics of higher education continue to diversify, more scholarship focused on the experience of non-traditional service learners remains urgently needed (see Wightman, 2019).

² As I offer this brief history, I am reminded of Melissa Bocci’s caution to remain vigilant to how “historical narratives represent people of color, what they include and exclude, and how these representations and inclusions/exclusions may reinforce or challenge White normativity in service-learning” (Bocci 2015, p. 5).

³ For more on this critique, see Blouin and Perry (2009), Bortolin (2011), and Stoecker et al. (2009).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristyn Sessions

Kristyn Sessions ([email protected]) is a Catherine of Siena postdoctoral fellow in the ethics program at Villanova University.