Care of the Soul: Service-Learning and the Value of the Humanities

Abstract

contemporary debates about the proper role of the humanities in college and university education have been shaped by a multitude of exi-gencies and trends both within and outside of the academy, from ordinary budgetary constraints to changing institutional and professional norms, and from increasingly consumerist attitudes about education to the emergence of new media and communications technology. Value pluralism, recognition of the importance of cultural diversity, and processes of globalization have led to ongoing and sometimes quite heated discussion about curricular content. moreover, the remarkable achievements of the natural sciences, which have yielded so many practical gains, only heighten the anxiety of those who would seek to determine just what " use " the humanities serve. While some of the terminology in these debates may be new—witness the pressure on instructors across disciplines to specify measurable " learning objectives " and " outcomes assessments " —the underlying questions are not so different from those which motivated matthew Arnold's classic defense of the humanities over a century ago. The " humane letters, " Arnold argues, uniquely engage our emotions and exercise a valuable influence on our conduct and sense of beauty. Arnold's conclusion is that the humanities are not " in much actual danger of being thrust out from their leading place in education…So long as human nature is what it is, their attractions will remain irresistible " (Arnold 1975, 72). According to a new book by Anthony Kronman, the humanities have lost not only their leading position in post-secondary education, but, more important, their relevance in guiding students through a critical examination of what it means to live a good life as a human being (Kronman 2007). Kronman places much of the blame for this