As people of compassion we want to make a difference. Striving to leave the world a better place than how we found it. But does our helping hurt. This course will observe through a broader lens of understanding the world of harmful charitable practices and damaging impacts that may occur.
These courses will examine harmful charitable practices and potentially damaging impacts so as to better assist students in engaging in compassionate outreach that elevates human dignity within the culture the students finds themselves engaged.
Unequal distribution of power and economic resources invite relationships that can lead toward dependency and human devaluing. While we as individuals of compassion desire to “help” our brothers and sisters in the marginalized communities we may minister in, we additionally desire to do so in ways that truly help without hurting those populations. This course extends the opportunity to analyze potentially harmful practices and encourages dignifying alternatives.
As the student reaches out to our global community with the message of Christ s/he will strive to meet them at their point of need and understanding in ways that elevate human dignity. Better understanding of healthy and unhealthy benevolent action by examining harmful charitable impacts and elevating alternatives leads to that end. “…‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31
As the student goes out among individuals from different backgrounds and understandings this course helps s/he to better engage the local environment in ways that strengthen self-sufficiency and sustainability and minimize interaction that strengthens power divides and dependency.
The content of this course directly strengthens the cultural competence and understanding of charitable engagement impacts. Therefore assisting students to better participate and work with increase knowledge and effectiveness in cross-cultural situations.
As the course unpacks harmful charitable practices it reveals the influences of their damaging impacts on a population and society and encourages interaction that supports elevating human dignity and proposes societal actions that individuals can engage in to help alleviate poverty without bringing harm to recipients of the intended charitable generosities.
This course offers a practical examination of the influences of unhealthy charitable practice. With this knowledge an individual can potentially engage with an increased level of understanding as to how to better support benevolent action that leads toward self-sufficiency and sustainability, while minimizing interaction that strengthens power divides and dependency.
Students will have the opportunity to examine their own real world situations to research, identify and report evidence and impact of various development theories and practices that is demonstrated in their own context.
