Knowledge, Foundations, and Discourse: Philosophical Support for Service Learning

For some time now advocates of service-learning in higher education have been arguing for a change in pedagogy without the support of arguments for a change in epistemology. However, if we wish to rethink the way we teach and learn, then we need to rethink the way we know. This article is an effort to support service-learning pedagogy as the level of philosophy. The author describes and critiques the theory of knowledge that undergirds conventional pedagogy in higher education. He then presents pragmatism as an alternative epistemology that illuminates the contextual nature of knowledge and that affirms community, diversity, and engagement as pedagogical virtues. He concludes with brief comments on the significance and limitations of philosophical inquiry for advancing service-learning as a pedagogy and as a movement. (Author)