Civic Engagement and Service Learning: Implications for Higher Education in America and South Africa

Higher education, regardless of social context and geographic location, undergoes change. The challenge for higher education is to understand its history, articulate and accept its role with regard to diverse constituencies in society, and create an appropriate future within its social context (Du Pre, 2003; Thelin, 2004). In what ways are service learning and civic engagement shaped by context, and in what ways do these two trends contribute to higher education's trajectory for an appropriate future as a mature, responsible, and responsive institution within society?