ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the possibility and value of effecting links between Community Service and the curriculum in various sectors of higher education. It describes what has been done in each of several disciplines in giving students the opportunity to carry out work of direct social utility within the context of the curriculum. The book examines the concepts and practices of student community service and community action, emphasising the distinction between the approaches, and reviewing what has been attempted and what has been achieved in extra-curricular activities. It discusses the potential value of 'clinical' studies in British legal education and evaluates the educational and social value of student participation in legal advice services. The book raises many specific educational and social issues relevant to particular forms of curriculum or of social action or of both.