The European and American university since 1800 : historical and sociological essays

Universities are said to be the 'powerhouses' of modern society. They educate leaders and advance our basic knowledge of nature and society. Yet historically they have been vulnerable when meeting the challenges of dynamic industrial democracies or indeed of modern totalitarian states. Today universities are at the centre of society's attention and must therefore balance a great number of contradictory demands and pressures. Can this be done within the structure and ethos of an historic institution called a 'university', or are such institutions now passé and merely part of a bureaucratically managed higher education 'system'? These essays discuss the ways in which universities have coped with complexity since 1800, while retaining their basic 'idea'. Special attention is accorded to the role of the State and the autonomous professions in defining the mission of universities and in their struggle for individuality in the face of mounting pluralistic and bureaucratic pressures. Cover......Page 1 Frontmatter......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 Notes on the contributors......Page 10 Introduction: universities and `higher education'......Page 14 Part I - Fact and ideals in liberal education......Page 30 1 - The limbs of Osiris: liberal education in the English-speaking world......Page 32 2 - In search of Isis: general education in Germany and Sweden......Page 87 Part 2 - The State, the university, and the professions......Page 120 3 - The transformation of professional education in the nineteenth century......Page 122 4 - From practice to school-based professional education: patterns of conflict and accommodation in England, France, and the United States......Page 155 Part 3 - The ambiguities of university research in Sweden and the United States......Page 202 5 - Universities, research, and the transformation of the State in Sweden......Page 204 6 - Research, graduate education, and the ecology of American universities: an interpretive history......Page 247 Part 4 - Complexity......Page 274 7 - The problem of complexity in modern higher education......Page 276 8 - Comparative perspectives on British and American higher education......Page 293 Part 5 - The ironies of university history......Page 314 9 - The modern university: the three transformations......Page 316 Index......Page 376 Universities are said to be the 'powerhouses' of modern society. They educate leaders, and advance our basic knowledge of nature and society. Yet historically they have been vulnerable when meeting the challenges of dynamic industrial democracies, let alone of modern totalitarian states. Today universities are at the centre of society's attention, and must therefore balance a great number of contradictory demands and pressures. Can this be done within the structure and ethos of an historic institution called a 'university', or are such institutions now passe and merely part of a bureaucratically managed higher education 'system'? These essays discuss the ways in which universities have coped with complexity since 1800, while retaining their basic 'idea'. Special attention is accorded to the role of the State and the autonomous professions in defining the mission of universities and on their struggle for individuality in the face of mounting pluralistic and bureaucratic pressures. Universities are said to be the "powerhouses" of modern society. They educate our leaders and advance our basic knowledge of nature and society. The essays in this book discuss how universities work, and have worked, in relation to other parts of the higher education "system" and in the context of their historical development. The authors are particularly interested in "complexity" as it affects universities, the professions and government, and exercise comparative analysis in assessing the functioning, the success and the significance of universities. The essays in this book discuss how universities work and have worked, in relation to other parts of a higher education 'system'. The authors are particularly interested in 'complexity' as it affects universities, the professions and government, and exercise comparative analysis in assessing the functioning, the success and the significance of universities.

the Essays In This Book Discuss How Universities Work In Relation To Other Parts Of A Higher Education 'system'.

For review see: Joseph Wachelder, in Tijdschrift voor geschiedenis, jrg. 107, nr. 2 (1994); p. 291-292 Edited By Sheldon Rothblatt And Björn Wittrock. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. What may be possible in science, is not easily achieved in history.