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Module 2:
What is this thing called “Service”?

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Module 2: Overview
Service is a term that we often use, and yet, it means very
different things in different contexts. Look at how many
different definitions of the term service are given by
Webster’s dictionary.
In addition to being used to describe a wide array of
social interactions, service is also what political scientist
William Connelly (1993) calls a “contested term:” “a
concept whose definition is never neutral, but always
entangled in competing moral and political
commitments.”

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Module 2: Learning Objectives
This module will give you the opportunity to explore your
own experiences with and definitions of service. It will
also introduce you to some of the different “moral and
political commitments” about service, both domestically
and in the international context.
By the end of this module, you should be able to to
integrate these various perspectives into a more complex
perspective on this contested thing called “service.”

4. +
Module 2: Lesson 1
Possible Acts of Service
The purpose of this activity is to have you reflect on different acts of
service, in order to help you clarify your own personal definition of
service. Know that one’s definition of service is very individual. What feels
like service to one person, can feel like an obligation of a chore to another
person. Your own personal definition of service is informed by your family,
your community and other societal influences.
Review the list of Possible Acts of Service in the attachment. Number the
examples form 1-13, according to how they compare to your own
definition of service.
 1 = most similar to my definition of service.
 13 = most different from my definition of service.
What does service mean to you?

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Module 2: Lesson 1
Reflect and Discuss:
Review your list, and write the characteristics of the acts
that are “most similar to your definition of service.”
Post to the course forum
What does service mean to you?

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Module 2: Lesson 2
After having read and rated the previous scenarios, please
reflect on your personal definition of service.
 What circumstances are needed for an act or series of
acts to be considered service?
 Feel free to include examples of what true service would
look like.
Personal definition of service

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Module 2: Lesson 3
As you may have guessed, the concept of service is indeed
a rather complex one.
Depending on who is doing the defining, it can have one
meaning or another. Naomi Remen and Robert Sigmon
have written extensively about service, and in the attached
articles they give their own interpretation of its meaning.
Read:
 Remen, N., Helping, Fixing or Serving
 Sigmon. Sit Down. Be Quiet. Pay Attention
Exploring different concepts of service

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Module 2: Lesson 3
Reflect:
 Create a “Top 5 List” of your favorite quotes from each
author. Then, describe how their definitions of service are
different from yours.
Record your reflections in the your blog / online journal
Exploring different concepts of service

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Module 2: Lesson 4
Robert Sigmon’s challenge to those
who engage in service experiences
is to “Sit down, shut up and listen” for
the sake of those who we are
serving. This is particularly crucial in
an international service setting.
Please watch Ernesto Sirolli’s Ted Talk
titled Want to help someone? Shut
up and listen!” to explore this
concept further.
Ernesto Sirolli
Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

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Module 2: Lesson 4
Reflect and Discuss:
Reflect on Ernesto Sirolli’s Ted Talk and post your responses
in the course forum
 Why do you think that Mr. Sirolli emphasizes the need to
listen before engaging in service work abroad?
 Have you ever experienced frustration in delivering
service to those you didn’t really know?
Want to help someone? Shut up and
listen!

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Module 2: Lesson 5
In any service situation, there is always
the danger of creating unintended
consequences and facing rejection
by those who are being served. In the
following piece by Monsignor Ivan
Illich, some of those dangers are
highlighted.
 Read: Illich, I., To Hell With Good
Intentions
Monsignor Ivan Illich
To hell with good intentions

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Module 2: Lesson 5
Reflect and Discuss:
Please read the article and record your reactions in the
course forum.
 Is Illich justified in asking American volunteers to stay
away, go back to their own communities and only return
to Mexico as tourists?
To hell with good intentions

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Module 2: Lesson 6
The following TEDx talk by Daniela Papi,
“What is wrong with volunteer travel?”,
discusses the surge of the
“voluntourism” industry.
According to some estimates the
voluntourism industry brings in $2 billion
per annum from 1.6 million volunteer
tourists and students engaged in
international service.
Daniella Papi
What’s wrong with Volunteer Tourism?

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Module 2: Lesson 6
Reflect:
Please watch the video and reflect on your own
motivations for international service.
 Do you feel that your desire to serve is
motivated by “sympathy” or “empathy”?
 What were your main takeaways from Papi’s
examples?
What’s wrong with volunteer tourism?

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Module 2: Lesson 7
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Module 2: Assignment
Reflection:
 How have you truly served others? How have others
served you?
 As you are getting ready to start your international service
experience, what are you anticipating will be the most
enriching and the most challenging aspects of said
service?
Service Autobiography