Philanthropy and the City

Catalog description

This spring semester course will focus on how urban communities are shaped and influenced by the nonprofit sector and the billions of philanthropic dollars that fuel their work. By bridging theory and practice and utilizing the City of Philadelphia as a place to explore these ideas, the course delves into what dynamics are at play to deliver vital services or programs in health care, education, the arts, community development, and other issues. The course will also focus on these important questions: • Whose responsibility is the public good? How is that responsibility shared by the public, private, and nonprofit sectors? How do different actors within these sectors define the public good? • Given the responsibility for the public good, which individuals and groups make the decisions about how to serve the public good? • How are philanthropic dollars best utilized to generate results or impact via investment in nonprofit organizations? • How is philanthropy responding to some of the key crosscurrents affecting society today? Students will consider these questions in an interdisciplinary context that will bring a historical and philosophical perspective to the examination of the values and institutions that characterize contemporary philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. And thanks to the generosity of donors and alumni, students in the course will work in teams to devise a real-world evaluation process and distribute funds to well-deserving nonprofits – providing an experiential (and unique) opportunity to experience first-hand what it takes to execute effective charitable giving.