Chapter 9: Spirituality in Student Experiences in International Service Learning Courses

In this chapter, we voice concerns regarding whether standardized teaching in higher education will continue to perpetuate dominant interests (e.g., capitalism). Perhaps a competing critical agenda, such as service learning, will offer students the opportunity to challenge—rather than perpetuate— the existing social, political, or economic interests. By combining our talents as educators and scholars, we ask our readers to consider what the goals of international service learning should be. Together with our students, we can deepen general understandings of the dilemma presented by standardized higher education and proffer ways to change the course of such an educational system. Drawing on the perspective of feminist pedagogy, we invite our readers to explore with us the notion of spirituality as the essence of transformation as we share our students’ narratives describing their experiences working with various nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in January, 2007.