Reciprocity as a Foundational Concept in Teaching Philanthropic and Nonprofit Studies

Abstract:Reciprocity is a potentially transformational social relation based on acting “with” and not “for” others, decreasing traditionally hierarchical roles and replacing power with shared responsibility. In this essay, I consider three ways reciprocity informs my teaching and has the potential to shape nonprofit and philanthropic education: it negates the dualistic perspective of student/teacher, it provides the context in which to build a classroom community, and it ensures a self-reflexive pedagogical practice. I also consider how reciprocity is embedded in the philanthropic impulse, highlighting the nature of teaching as a human endeavor designed to improve the public good.