C. Rhonda Cobham-Sander (Section 01)
Molly Mead (Section 01)
The course offers students who have worked as interns or volunteers an interdisciplinary framework within which to think together about what it means to give. We will explore philanthropy’s diverse forms over time and across cultures; its philosophical underpinnings; its complex interrelationships with modern notions of charity, advocacy, and democracy; and its often paradoxical effects on social relations and public policy. The first half of the course considers what it means to foster a “love of humanity,” to offer and receive “the kindness of strangers,” to practice charity as a civic or religious obligation, as a status building stratagem or, simply, to help. We will look at how these diverse philanthropic expectations are laid out in various religious traditions, as well as in written works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Alexis de Tocqueville, George Eliot, Marcel Mauss, Jane Addams, Ama Ata Aidoo, and Michael Ignatieff, and in images created by selected artists and filmmakers. The second half of the course examines case studies and literary representations of philanthropic efforts and outcomes in a variety of social situations, from the perspectives of donors and recipients; board members and volunteers; advocacy groups, policy makers, and non-governmental organizations.
Not open to first-year students. Priority will be given to students who have recent experience working as volunteers or interns. Limited to 20 students. This course may be used for credit towards the major in English and Black Studies. Fall semester. Professor Cobham-Sander and Ms. Mead, Director of the Center for Community Engagement.
Section 01
M 08:30 AM - 09:50 AM COOP 101
W 08:30 AM - 09:50 AM COOP 101
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The gift | Vintage Books, 1999 | Lewis Hyde | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Great Expectations | Penguin Books Ltd, 1999 | Charles Dickens | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Making Ends Meet | Russell Sage Foundation, 1997 | Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Needs of Strangers | Penguin Books,1986, c1984 | Michael Ignatieff | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Dead Aid | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010 | Dambisa Moyo | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Monique and the Mango Rains | Waveland Press, 2006 | Kris Holloway | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Effective Philanthropy: organization success through deep diversity and gender equality | MIT Press, 2007 | Mary Ellen Cepak and Molly Mead | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Money For Change: Social Movement Philanthropy at the Haymarket People's Fund | Temple University Press, 1997 | Susan Ostrander | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Save the world on your own time | Oxford University Press, 2008 | Stanley Fish | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Mountains beyond Mountains | Random House, 2003 | Tracy Kidder | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.