Efficacy of Using Service Learning to Teach about Social Justice Issues in the US Cultural Sector

Over the last seven years, the US sector primarily concerned with arts and culture has increasingly focused on social justice issues. However, scholars have rarely empirically examined if and how arts management educators teach about social justice issues. Therefore, this participant-oriented evaluation investigated the efficacy of using service learning with a culturally specific arts organization to teach graduate students about social justice issues. Based on an analysis of the quantitative data, this evaluative study determined that service learning with a culturally specific arts organization is an effective approach to teach graduate students about social justice issues, as well as principles of socially responsible arts administration. Given the results, this study has implications for graduate curricula and experiential education in arts administration.