I thought I might share my final paper/ reflection from a class I loved. Yes loved. It was a class I was meant to take. I really have enjoyed and found tremendous benefit from all of the classes in this Masters of Philanthropic Studies program at IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (LFSOP). Yes even the Economics class, everything ties back to Econ, Market Failure hello! I'm sure I'll end up feeling the same way about the Law class! Anyway, the Global Exchange class was a true treat (direct, synchronized time with students in Germany), and the Comparative Study of Civil Society again something the universe or God wanted me to take. I'm grateful for the support from Joe, the professors I engage with, and my fellow students. Yes, me a lifelong learner living and sharing my school life on Newark-Granville Road. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!
Susan Leithauser SP22 Civil Society in Comp Persp: 307075 Pamala Wiepking
Exit Essay, May 2, 2022
I have been using concepts from this class in my work life. Our
department is engaged in a nine-month training facilitated by a coach. In the
individual orientation session, I was quick to discuss using the word
generosity instead of philanthropy. During our opening session, I asked for care
when using the term empathy as a quick fix for what the world of today needs. As
a result, the facilitator followed up for more information and reading
recommendations! I used parts of my response to begin this assignment. To
demonstrate my increased understanding of ‘global philanthropy’ and
'comparative civil society' the three-course topics or assignments I call upon are:
the interview assignment; virtually all topics in module three with a focus on evolutional
origins and empathy; and the presentations on philanthropy in different
countries.
Early in our class I admit, the concept of “generosity” instead
of philanthropy gave me pause. I mean, we are enrolled in the school of
philanthropy. However, the personal experience of a classmate from Germany in
the Global Exchange program saying to me “philanthropy is a buzzword” came
quickly to mind. I made a general reference to this experience in my opening
essay about global philanthropy. Thanks to this class’s deep and broad
exploration of this subject I understand global philanthropy needs to be
explored inside individual cultures and countries and there are so many! Do we
all really appreciate how big the world is? There is much to study and much
more to study through the lens of non-Western perspectives. Also, the
concept of “generosity” feels genius as I reflect and articulate lessons from
our time together this semester. Key to this thought process was our
introductory text from WINGS (2018.) p, 6-9.
Rudimentary is the question, are people generous by nature?
Thanks to this class I do believe the answer is yes! There is much to
understand about why the answer is yes and much to understand about why people
do not always behave in generous ways. The interdisciplinary study of this
class and the LFSOP program address the answers. Prosocial behavior,
evolutionary origins, and important scientific studies were all presented in module
three of our class. De Waal, Allen, and Aktipis are all to credit for my “yes” answer! Please note the resources
at the end of my essay for my inspiration. The biggest impact on the subject is
from Bregman in his book Humankind, A Hopeful History. The chapter, The
Real Lord of the Flies, prompts me to believe the Bregman book should be
the required reading, not Lord of the Flies. The premise of the book is
well stated in this chapter: people are good by nature and will care for one
another in stressful times.
In reflection on how the course changed my thinking about ‘global
philanthropy’ and 'comparative civil society,' there is no way to capture
it all in this assignment’s word count. Critical lessons were from the presentations
by my classmates, where we were all grateful for The Palgrave Manual and the 2022 Global Philanthropy Index country
reports. Taking time to visit this page: https://globalindices.iupui.edu/environment-index/downloads/index.html highlights the value and resources the LFSOF
provides.
An important activity was also the research we conducted for the assignment. The
interview I held with the young woman from India reveals the cultural and religious
influence of the simple word “karma.” Critical to our studies and global
philanthropy is what Professor Wiepking has outlined from the beginning, translation
matters! The summary from the class interview papers quickly demonstrates this.
I discovered this from the young man from Japan I interviewed (Interviewee J)
in his use of the word Yasashi, stating this is “a type of kind, a very gentle
warm, soft kind” (Interviewee J). In Prof. Wiepking’s summary for Module seven I
was taken with the classmate’s work “it translates back into Shona as ‘rudo,’
which means love in English, not charity.”
Translation and language could be their own class for our LFSOF studies.
I hope it is permissible to say, I did not have expectations that were not met in this class. What I did learn was more than I ever imagined and more than was outlined in the required reading. The extra materials provided in each module were extremely helpful as were my classmate’s contributions in the informal discussions and formal presentations and assignments. This is a comprehensive class and the lecture by my classmates opened additional pathways. Lectures offered by the Lilly School including one by Joseph Henrich giving a peek into the book The WIERDest People in the World had a significant impact on my experience in the class. I have noticed that virtually every piece of research we read in our program outlines the need for more research. The Henrich lecture shares an important “why.” This book puts important work into the world. The lecture inspired questions and dialogue I should have entered this class with. So, the good news is I leave the class with a desire to know more, and expectations will evolve as I further navigate the degree path. Discussion during our class presentation responses highlighted I am not alone! As I reviewed my classmates’ work about many countries, I recognize the role of geography in philanthropy in an island country vs a small country with changing political borders and want to know more. Ireland vs Switzerland, all the different islands in the Caribbean, questions multiply, and my brain begins to itch! I also wonder about nomads and refugees; the US provides much to study, but we need to look to the cultural and global origins to understand philanthropy and generosity.
I will also take the
time to state the value of the full exploration of concepts. Our work regarding
empathy has been fascinating, eye-opening, and aligns with our work with
“philanthropy.” There are numerous definitions, many sub definitions, influence, and evolution/biological science for important study and application to our
pursuits to make the world a better place. Konrath's article layouts much to
appreciate including Bloom’s book with the enticing title Against Empathy. We
must be careful to not just care for people like ourselves.
To close, looking back at the opening essay and my analogy of a
puzzle for our philanthropic studies. I realized in this class, that there are many
puzzles, however, there may be universal pieces that can be used in different
puzzles/pictures we are trying to complete. When I think about the concept of
universal pieces like empathy, evolutionary origin, and the analysis of
research I realize we must be careful as one size does not fit all. And some
pieces may be outdated and need updating. One understanding, one definition is
not the answer. This also calls to mind the pieces of art made by individual photographs
assembled to create one concept- a photographic mosaic. Pictures within pictures,
puzzles within puzzles, all uniting. Our philanthropic studies, the deeper
understanding of generosity, empathy (good and bad), culture, government structure
and so much more certainly paint a picture of how people (and even animals)
care for one another and make the world a better place.
Resources/ Influences:
Aktipis, A, Do You Believe In Generosity | Athena
Aktipis | TEDxASU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlOO0rD7QvI
Aktipis, A., Cronk, L., Alcock, J., Ayers, J. D., Baciu, C., Balliet, D., ... & Sullivan, D. (2018) Nature Human Behaviour, 2(7), 429.
Allen, S "The
Science of Generosity” (2018)
Greater Good Magazine,
Bregman, R (2019) Humankind,
A Hopeful History, Back Bay Books, NY, NY
Henrich, J. (2021). The
weirdest people in the world: How the west became psychologically peculiar and
particularly prosperous. Picador. NY, NY
Konrath,
S. (2017). What's the matter with
empathy? Greater Good
Magazine, January 24, 2017.
Preston,
S. D., & De Waal, F. B. (2002). Empathy: Its ultimate and proximate bases
The 2022 Global Philanthropy Index: direct link to the 2022 country
reports.
https://wings.issuelab.org/resources/29534/29534.pdf
Module
7 Summary: Quotes about meaning and definition generosity philanthropy
and charity across cultures.pdf 
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