Critical Consciousness and Critical Service-Learning at the Intersection of the Personal and the Structural

Abstract

Critical service-learning is often defined in opposition to a more traditional, “charity” approach that does not necessarily seek fundamental changes. Service-learning courses, however, may not quite follow this dichotomy. In an intercultural communication course, students engaged in service-learning that included some elements of both approaches. In this mixed environment, would students reproduce and perpetuate existing oppressive assumptions and relationships, or would they develop critical consciousness? This paper addresses the question by examining student reflections through a phenomenological approach.