Student Learning in Guatemala: An Untenured Faculty Perspective on International Service Learning and Public Good

Abstract

In this article I explain how I combined service learning, public-good work, and research in Guatemala. This path has not been easy. Indeed, it has been risky because the time invested in public-good work and teaching field classes could have detracted from research productivity. Taking a risk under the current and traditional academic model at many universities, however, has resulted in the creation of a service-learning class in Guatemala where students learn to conduct community-based research and then, along with the community, formulate a plan of action to try and meet needs identified by the community. I offer a cautionary note for untenured faculty because my tenure case rests on my store of traditional publications, not on the public-good work and service-learning classes that I teach abroad.

Key Words:

• service learning
• public scholarship
• Guatemala

Matthew J. Taylor is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA. His research interests include human–environment relationships in Latin America, particularly in rural areas of Guatemala.