- Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m.
- Instructors: Genevieve Shaker, Gene Tempel, Sarah Nathan
What do celebrities and pop culture have to do with helping others?
Celebrity Philanthropy course
Coming Spring 2017
Questions?
Contact gshaker@iupui.edu for more information.
The effects of celebrity and popular culture on modern charitable practice are profound. Celebrities—from entertainment, business, politics, and sports—are involved with causes including climate change, international humanitarianism, animal welfare, health and wellness, food instability, and more.
This course explores the intersection of celebrity and popular culture with philanthropy and fundraising.
The class features several celebrity guest speakers as well as nonprofit professionals who administer celebrity philanthropy, and members of the Chideo (The Charity Network) team, with whom we will also work on the course’s culminating project and celebratory event. Students will assess the benefits and challenges of celebrity philanthropy for American charities.
Students will also engage in an ongoing discussion about the societal phenomenon of celebrity giving, service, and advocacy through exploration of current philanthropic events, interactive classroom activities, and hands-on learning opportunities. Discussion will include exploration of how individuals, and celebrities in particular, of various backgrounds (profession, gender, race and ethnicity, political persuasion, generation) deploy their philanthropy.
Core philanthropic principles, questions, and practices will be explored as students refine their notions about charitable giving in their own media experience while learning to apply an academically-informed perspective to popular philanthropy using new technologies.
Course Learning Objectives
Successful course completion includes achievement of a group of learning objectives.
1) Core knowledge
- Formulate a broad-based, academic understanding of the role of celebrity and popular culture in American philanthropy
- Address questions and issues in contemporary philanthropy using the lens of celebrity and popular culture
2) Analytical experience
- Analyze the impact and role of celebrity giving, volunteerism, and advocacy on philanthropic causes and perceptions of philanthropy
- Assess the impact of philanthropic participation on the celebrity individual, organization, or cause
- Evaluate philanthropic fundraising strategies, deployed by nonprofits and businesses, which use celebrity and/or media
3) Skills development
- Demonstrate the ability to discuss, assess, report, and present course information both independently and together with peers
- Learn to advocate for charitable causes and create philanthropic communications tools/resource
Celebrity and special guest appearances are subject to change/cancellation.
Only enrolled students may attend class sessions.