Higher Education in the United States

Catalog description

This course is designed to help you think about colleges and universities and the historical and social forces that have affected their development in the United States. Since education is an issue we often think about in personal terms, especially higher education, the course is intended to use our own knowledge and insights as a starting point, and to expand upon our reasoning skills as we study these issues historically. We will do this by reading, discussing and thinking about colleges and universities and the students that attended them in the past. Through this, the aim of this course is to provide everyone with a sound framework for using historical analysis to interpret problems in higher education, and in the development of American society. In the course of doing this you will be asked to offer evidence of your learning, particularly with regard to your historical reasoning abilities. You will do this through discussion of readings, in class presentations and exploration of key issues, and through your written work. It is critical, in that case, that you attend every class, complete assigned readings on schedule, and submit written work when expected.