Rhetorical Strategies of the Postsecondary Community Service-Learning Movement in Canada

This article analyzes the rhetorical strategies of the community service-learning movement in Canada, offering a description of the movement that is accessible to both Canadian and international readers who are familiar with service-learning. The article first provides a general comparison of the context, features and progress of the Canadian community service-learning (CSL) movement in light of the American service-learning movement. It then it analyzes the unique messages and features of the Canadian movement using social movement theory and rhetorical theory as a frame. It concludes with recommendations regarding the rhetorical strategies and organizational structures that are likely to be ethical and effective in forwarding the CSL initiative in Canada and adapting it to the unique cultural, social and political contexts of its higher education system. These insights are offered from the perspective of a Canadian faculty member from the discipline of rhetorical studies who teaches, researches, and leads in the movement both nationally and locally. KEYWORDS service-learning; social movements; higher education; institutionalization; community partnerships