11:00 - 11:50 a.m., Thursday, September 28, 2023
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Surveying the University: The Purpose of Higher Education in Divisive Times
John Dewey noted a century ago that education is both the fundamental mechanism of social progress and reform and the vehicle by which certain cultural norms and mores are perpetuated into the future. What is the primary purpose of higher education in the 21st century? Should social progress and cultural critique be actively privileged, or should an educator’s main role be to deliver uniform content and ensure a level of conformity toward a culturally shared definition of “educated citizenship”? Lately, local school board battles, scrutiny and censorship of libraries, accusations of “liberal bias” on college campuses, and posthumous children’s book editing, all suggest that this question is urgently important. Who gets to decide what information is disseminated, taught, or even available? How is balance achieved—and on what grounds—between selection, protection, and intellectual freedom? What is the moral duty of education for the future of our nation?
Host: Devin Schehrer Q&A Moderator: Dr. Jamie Atkinson
Presenters
