Jane Addams and the Origins of Service-Learning

This article uses primary and secondary research on educational, social, and political theory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to argue that the history of service-learning must be revised to include Jane Addams' pioneering work. A full consideration of Addams significantly revises understanding the origins of service-learning, suggesting service-learning has its origins as a practice, not a theory; in the com-munity, not the university; and among women, not men. Further, Addams' work counterbalances the con-temporary effort to justify service-learning largely on its scientifically verifiable outcomes. (MJCSL)