The Democratic Mission of American Higher Education

This seminar will explore the purposes of American higher education, with a focus on the origins of higher education in this country and important period of institutional evolution. We will interrogate the relationship between democracy and higher education in two ways. First, by understanding how democracy provides the necessary conditions for higher education to pursue its core mission. Second, by looking at how higher education promotes democratic values. The course will pay particular attention to post WWII American higher education, with a focus on important contemporary debates on higher education issues.