U.S. Higher Education: History, Present

In this seminar we will discuss past, present, and future challenges facing colleges and universities and their constituencies.  The course may be taken for credit or audited.

Topics include the origins of the modern research university; problems of equity and access in the post-secondary educational system; the place of teaching in graduate training; the changing character of humanistic scholarship; the role of colleges and universities as engines of—or obstructions to—social mobility; past and current challenges to intellectual inquiry and academic freedom.

We will hear from visiting speakers on these topics as well as on questions regarding possible career choices for graduate students facing a shrinking market for traditional tenure-track teaching positions.