Democracy's Education: Public Work, Citizenship, and the Future of Colleges and Universities
Today Americans feel powerless in the face of problems on every front. Such feelings are acute in higher education, where educators are experiencing an avalanche of changes: cost cutting, new technologies, and demands that higher education be narrowly geared to the needs of today's workplace. College graduates face mounting debt and uncertain job prospects, and worry about a coarsening of the mass culture and the erosion of authentic human relationships. Higher education is increasingly seen, and often portrays itself, as a ticket to individual success--a private good, not a public one.


Democracy's Education grows from the American Commonwealth Partnership, a year-long project to revitalize the democratic narrative of higher education that began with an invitation to Harry Boyte from the White House to put together a coalition aimed at strengthening higher education as a public good. The project was launched at the beginning of 2012 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which created land grant colleges.


Beginning with an essay by Harry C. Boyte, "Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work," which challenges educators and their partners to claim their power to shape the story of higher education and the civic careers of students, the collection brings world-famous scholars, senior government officials, and university presidents together with faculty, students, staff, community organizers, and intellectuals from across the United States and South Africa and Japan. Contributors describe many constructive responses to change already taking place in different kinds of institutions, and present cutting-edge ideas like "civic science," "civic studies," "citizen professionalism," and "citizen alumni." Authors detail practical approaches to making change, from new faculty and student roles to changes in curriculum and student life and strategies for everyday citizen empowerment. Overall, the work develops a democratic story of education urgently needed to address today's challenges, from climate change to growing inequality.

1119992206
Democracy's Education: Public Work, Citizenship, and the Future of Colleges and Universities
Today Americans feel powerless in the face of problems on every front. Such feelings are acute in higher education, where educators are experiencing an avalanche of changes: cost cutting, new technologies, and demands that higher education be narrowly geared to the needs of today's workplace. College graduates face mounting debt and uncertain job prospects, and worry about a coarsening of the mass culture and the erosion of authentic human relationships. Higher education is increasingly seen, and often portrays itself, as a ticket to individual success--a private good, not a public one.


Democracy's Education grows from the American Commonwealth Partnership, a year-long project to revitalize the democratic narrative of higher education that began with an invitation to Harry Boyte from the White House to put together a coalition aimed at strengthening higher education as a public good. The project was launched at the beginning of 2012 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which created land grant colleges.


Beginning with an essay by Harry C. Boyte, "Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work," which challenges educators and their partners to claim their power to shape the story of higher education and the civic careers of students, the collection brings world-famous scholars, senior government officials, and university presidents together with faculty, students, staff, community organizers, and intellectuals from across the United States and South Africa and Japan. Contributors describe many constructive responses to change already taking place in different kinds of institutions, and present cutting-edge ideas like "civic science," "civic studies," "citizen professionalism," and "citizen alumni." Authors detail practical approaches to making change, from new faculty and student roles to changes in curriculum and student life and strategies for everyday citizen empowerment. Overall, the work develops a democratic story of education urgently needed to address today's challenges, from climate change to growing inequality.

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Democracy's Education: Public Work, Citizenship, and the Future of Colleges and Universities

Democracy's Education: Public Work, Citizenship, and the Future of Colleges and Universities

Democracy's Education: Public Work, Citizenship, and the Future of Colleges and Universities

Democracy's Education: Public Work, Citizenship, and the Future of Colleges and Universities


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Overview

Today Americans feel powerless in the face of problems on every front. Such feelings are acute in higher education, where educators are experiencing an avalanche of changes: cost cutting, new technologies, and demands that higher education be narrowly geared to the needs of today's workplace. College graduates face mounting debt and uncertain job prospects, and worry about a coarsening of the mass culture and the erosion of authentic human relationships. Higher education is increasingly seen, and often portrays itself, as a ticket to individual success--a private good, not a public one.


Democracy's Education grows from the American Commonwealth Partnership, a year-long project to revitalize the democratic narrative of higher education that began with an invitation to Harry Boyte from the White House to put together a coalition aimed at strengthening higher education as a public good. The project was launched at the beginning of 2012 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which created land grant colleges.


Beginning with an essay by Harry C. Boyte, "Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work," which challenges educators and their partners to claim their power to shape the story of higher education and the civic careers of students, the collection brings world-famous scholars, senior government officials, and university presidents together with faculty, students, staff, community organizers, and intellectuals from across the United States and South Africa and Japan. Contributors describe many constructive responses to change already taking place in different kinds of institutions, and present cutting-edge ideas like "civic science," "civic studies," "citizen professionalism," and "citizen alumni." Authors detail practical approaches to making change, from new faculty and student roles to changes in curriculum and student life and strategies for everyday citizen empowerment. Overall, the work develops a democratic story of education urgently needed to address today's challenges, from climate change to growing inequality.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780826503633
Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press
Publication date: 04/30/2021
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
File size: 623 KB

About the Author

Harry C. Boyte is Senior Scholar in Public Work Philosophy at Augsburg University and author of ten previous books. As a young man he worked as a field secretary for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Martin Luther King's organization, in the civil rights movement.

Table of Contents

Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work | Harry C. Boyte


Part I: Democratic Narratives

1. Har Megiddo: A Battle for the Soul of Higher Education | David Mathews

2. A Democracy’s College Tradition | Scott J. Peters

3. The Democratic Roots of Academic Professionalism | Albert W. Dzur


Part II: Policy Makers and Presidents as Architects of Change

4. Democracy’s Future—The Federal Perspective | Martha Kanter

5. Reinventing Scholar-Educators as Citizens and Public Workers | Nancy Cantor and Peter Englot

6. Institutionalizing Civic Engagement at the University of Minnesota | Robert Bruininks, Andy Furco, Robert Jones, Jayne K. Sommers, and Erin A. Konkle

7. Education for a Rapidly Changing World | Judith A. Ramaley

8. Preparing Students for Work as Citizens: Reflections of a New College President | Adam Weinberg


Part III: The Faculty Experience and Faculty as Agents of Change

9. Can a New Culture of Civic Professionalism Flourish? | Maria Avila

10. Transformational Ecotones: The Craftsperson Ethos and Higher Education | Romand Coles and Blase Scarnati

11. Dismantling Inequality Regarding Scholarship | KerryAnn O’Meara

12. The Emerging Citizenry of Academe | Timothy K. Eatman


Part IV: From Citizen-Student to Citizen-Alumni: Students and Alumni as Agents of Change

13. Becoming a Civic Artist | Jamie Haft

14. What’s Doctoral Education Got to Do with It?: Graduate School Socialization and the Essential Democratic Work of the Academy | Cecilia M. Orphan

15. Fostering Civic Agency by Making Education (and Ourselves) “Real” | David Hoffman

16. The Civic Creativity of Alumni | Julie Ellison


Part V: Community Organizers Consider the Challenges

17. Breaking the Civic Spirit: Experiences of Young Organizers | Jenny L. Whitcher

18. “On Tap,” Not “On Top” | Robert L. Woodson Sr.

19. How Can Higher Education Reclaim Its Power? | Sam Daley-Harris


Part VI: Possible Futures

20. Illiberal Education | Benjamin R. Barber

21. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: The Economic Impact of Public Work | Peter Levine

22. Reflections of a Civic Scientist | John P. Spencer

23. Higher Education and Political Citizenship: The Japanese Case | Shigeo Kodama

24. The Promise of Black Consciousness | Xolela Mangcu

25. Teaching as Public Work | Lisa Clarke


Part VII: Summing Up

26. Organizing Higher Education between the Times | Paul N. Markham

27. The Soul of Higher Education: Concluding Reflections | Harry C. Boyte


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