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Internships for Economics Students Experiments in Feminist Pedagogy Mary E. Young American college educators have recently shown renewed interest in expanding programs that encourage students to learn through real-world experiences. These programs cover many forms of experiential learning, from voluntary community service to foreign exchange programs. It is increasingly recognized that one way to strengthen liberal arts education is to "encourage students to enhance their learning by involvement in their local and global communities through such activities as service learning , study abroad, and community internships" (American Council of Learned Societies 1994, 3). Supporters of this view include the late Ernest Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement for Teaching, who argued that "higher education must pay much more attention in preparing students to be responsible citizens, and not strictly scholars and professionals" (1994, A48). Johnetta Cole, president of Spelman College, said that "she is trying to strengthen the 113-year-old legacy of her historically black, women's college by producing leaders" and "that ... requires more than simply scholarly instruction" (qtd. in Marriott 1996,38). The idea of service-based learning is not a new concept in the United States, nor is its practice restricted to a small subset of colleges and universities . McGoldrick (1998) provides a concise history of service-based learning in the United States, and McGoldrick and Sanborn (1995) also discuss its use among economic educators. Some of the many schools that have already added community service as part of their graduation requirements include Portland State University, Stanford University, and Trinity University in Connecticut, San Francisco State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Denver (Marriott). The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE), founded in 1971, is a key resource for such programs and offers a number of publications as well as national and regional conferences (Kendall, Duley, Little, Permaul, and Rubin 1986). 193 Internships for Economics Students Experiments in Feminist Pedagogy Mary E. Young American college educators have recently shown renewed interest in expanding programs that encourage students to learn through real-world experiences. These programs cover many forms of experiential learning, from voluntary community service to foreign exchange programs. It is increasingly recognized that one way to strengthen liberal arts education is to "encourage students to enhance their learning by involvement in their local and global communities through such activities as service learning , study abroad, and community internships" (American Council of Learned Societies 1994, 3). Supporters of this view include the late Ernest Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement for Teaching, who argued that "higher education must pay much more attention in preparing students to be responsible citizens, and not strictly scholars and professionals" (1994, A48). Johnetta Cole, president of Spelman College, said that "she is trying to strengthen the 113-year-old legacy of her historically black, women's college by producing leaders" and "that ... requires more than simply scholarly instruction" (qtd. in Marriott 1996, 38). The idea of service-based learning is not a new concept in the United States, nor is its practice restricted to a small subset of colleges and universities . McGoldrick (1998) provides a concise history of service-based learning in the United States, and McGoldrick and Sanborn (1995) also discuss its use among economic educators. Some of the many schools that have already added community service as part of their graduation requirements include Portland State University, Stanford University, and Trinity University in Connecticut, San Francisco State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Denver (Marriott). The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE), founded in 1971, is a key resource for such programs and offers a number of publications as well as national and regional conferences (Kendall, Duley, Little, Permaul, and Rubin 1986). 193 194 Valuing Us All Experiential Learning in Economics Most of the recent discussion about improving pedagogy in economics, even among feminist economists, has focused on how to develop more inclusive course contents and how to incorporate teaching methods that are effective for a wider variety of students (Aerni et al. 1999). Other discussions among economists concerned with pedagogical issues have explored how the use of computer-assisted learning can enhance learning (Young 1997). Despite these recent efforts to make economics more relevant and accessible, very few professional economists have taken the next step of urging that experiential learning be an integral component of earning an undergraduate degree in economics. Even feminist economists have been slow to recognize the importance of experiential learning as a...

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