Course: Economía del don – The Economy of Gift
Institution: Universidad Panamericana (Mexico)
Faculty: Germán R. Scalzo

Excerpt from Syllabus

INTEGRATING VIRTUES TOGETHER
As part of the course’s formative approach, students will be invited to cultivate three key
virtues connected to the logic of gift: generosity, gratitude, and forgiveness. These are not only subjects of reflection but are actively developed through concrete practices distributed throughout the semester.

1. Generosity (Give)
Students will carry out a concrete act of financial solidarity (e.g., through the KIVA platform), reflecting on the difference between economies based on usury and those grounded in reciprocity.

2. Gratitude and Forgiveness (Receive)
This stage includes three formative activities:

• Writing a thank-you email to someone who has made a meaningful impact.
• Writing an apology email as an act of reconciliation.
• Keeping a short weekly gratitude journal.

These exercises aim to foster moral awareness, self-reflection, and recognition of
interdependence.

3. Community Engagement (Give Back)
At the end of the course, students will propose and carry out a service-learning or
community engagement project. This final stage seeks to integrate what has been learned into a personal and social commitment, embodying the logic of gift in real-life contexts. Each of these moments bridges ethical formation and philosophical content, allowing students to live out the values studied.