Course Outline

I: Introduction  to course

Jan7 - Jan 9

II: Scope, Structure & Distribution  

Jan 14 - Jan 21

III: Nonprofit Fields of Activity

Jan 23 - Feb 13

IV: Theories of Sector Feb 18  Mar 12

V: Historical, Religious & Ethical Foundations

Mar 17 - Apr 2

VI: Giving & Volunteering  Apr 7 - Apr 14

VII: Review & Discussion

Apr 16 - Apr 23

V521 – The Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector

Spring 2008

Kirsten A. Grønbjerg

Section 11048, MW 4:00-5:15 pm, PV 272

Course Schedule

See "syllabus" in Oncourse for a list of required and recommended readings assigned to each sessin.

I. Introduction and Overview

Jan 7       Introduction to course

Complete information sheets

Jan 9      Why a Third Sector?

II. Sector Scope, Structure and Distribution

Jan 14      Sector's legal structure

Project Option B.1 (Nonprofits in the news) discussion, report due Jan. 16, 5 pm.

Jan 16      Sector's size, composition, taxonomies, and geographic distribution

 Project Option B.2 and B.3 (What nonprofit tax returns reveal and Touched by the nonprofit sector) discussion, reports due Jan. 18, 5 pm.

Jan 21      NO CLASS – Martin Luther King’s birthday

III. Nonprofit Fields of Activity

Jan 23      Health

Guest lecturer: Professor Nicole Quon, SPEA (confirmed)

Project Option B.4a (Getting to know a nonprofit field: health) discussion, report due Jan. 25, 5 pm.

Jan 28      Social services

Project Option B.4b (Getting to know a nonprofit field: social services) discussion, report due Jan. 30, 5 pm.

Jan 30      Education

Project Option B.4c (Getting to know a nonprofit field: education) discussion, report due Feb. 1, 5 pm

Feb 4       Arts, culture and humanities

Guest lecturer: Professor Michael Rushton, SPEA & Arts Administration (confirmed)

Project Option B.4d (Getting to know a nonprofit field: arts & culture) discussion, report due Feb. 6

Feb 6       International assistance; community development

Project Option B.4e (Getting to know a nonprofit field: International assistance or community development) discussion, report due Feb. 8, 5 pm.

Feb 11     Environment; advocacy

Project Option B.4f (Getting to know a nonprofit field: environment/animal or public & societal benefit) discussion, report due Feb. 13, 5 pm

Feb 13     Religion; mutual benefit

IV. Theories of the Nonprofit Sector

Feb 18     Economic theories

Feb 20     Political theories

Project Option A: product I – Preliminary Report, due Feb. 20.

Project Option B.5 (Dividing up the turf) discussion, report due Feb. 22, 5 pm

Feb 25     Sociological & organizational theories

Feb 27     Social capital, civil society, and mediating structures 

Project Opion B.6 (Who is in my corner?) discussion, report due Febr. 29, 5 pm

Mar 3       The nonprofit sector in cross-national perspectives – the data

Mar 5       The nonprofit sector in cross-national perspectives – the explanations

Mar 10     NO CLASS – Spring Break

Mar 12     NO CLASS – Spring Break

V. Historical, Religious and Ethical Foundations

Mar 17     History – emergence of the sector

Mar 19     History - institutionalizing charities and philanthropy

Mar 24     Religious foundations – early forms

Project Option B.7 (Inside the congregation) discussion, report due March 28, 5 pm

Mar 26    Religious foundations – continued

Guest Lecturer: William Enright, Director, Lake Family Institute on Faith and Giving, Center on Philanthropy, IUPUI (confirmed)

Project Option A: Product II: Interim report, due March 26

Mar 31      Ethics

Guest Lecturer: Byron Bangert, Research Associate, Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions, Indiana University Bloomington (not yet confirmed)

Apr 2      Normative foundations

Project Option B.8 (Where did they go wrong - or did they?) discussion, report due April 4, 5 pm.

VI. Giving and Volunteering: Theories and Institutions

Apr 7      Personality and socialization

Project Option B.9 (Doing the work) discussion, report due Apr.9, 5 pm

Apr 9     Communities of participation

Project Option B.10 (Why do they do it?) discussion, report due Apr. 11, 5 pm

Apr 14     Institutional philanthropy

Project Option B.11 (Getting the money) discussion, report due Apr. 16, 5 pm 

VI. Overview, Review and Discussion

Apr 16     Infrastructure developments

Apr 21     Blurring, blending, and other challenges to sector 

Apr 23      Review and discussion

Project Option A: Presentation of project reports. Product III: Strategic Planning Memo due April 28 at 5 pm in SPEA 410.

Apr 28      Take-home final exam due at 3 p.m. in SPEA 410

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