In this Book

summary
Today Americans feel powerless in the face of problems on every front. Such feelings are acute in higher education, where educators are experiencing an avalanche of changes: cost cutting, new technologies, and demands that higher education be narrowly geared to the needs of today's workplace. College graduates face mounting debt and uncertain job prospects, and worry about a coarsening of the mass culture and the erosion of authentic human relationships. Higher education is increasingly seen, and often portrays itself, as a ticket to individual success--a private good, not a public one.


Democracy's Education grows from the American Commonwealth Partnership, a year-long project to revitalize the democratic narrative of higher education that began with an invitation to Harry Boyte from the White House to put together a coalition aimed at strengthening higher education as a public good. The project was launched at the beginning of 2012 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which created land grant colleges.


Beginning with an essay by Harry C. Boyte, "Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work," which challenges educators and their partners to claim their power to shape the story of higher education and the civic careers of students, the collection brings world-famous scholars, senior government officials, and university presidents together with faculty, students, staff, community organizers, and intellectuals from across the United States and South Africa and Japan. Contributors describe many constructive responses to change already taking place in different kinds of institutions, and present cutting-edge ideas like "civic science," "civic studies," "citizen professionalism," and "citizen alumni." Authors detail practical approaches to making change, from new faculty and student roles to changes in curriculum and student life and strategies for everyday citizen empowerment. Overall, the work develops a democratic story of education urgently needed to address today's challenges, from climate change to growing inequality.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title page, Copyright, Dedication
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. vii-ix
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. xi-xii
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  1. Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work
  2. Harry C. Boyte
  3. pp. 1-34
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  1. I. Democratic Narratives
  1. 1. Har Megiddo: A Battle for the Soul of Higher Education
  2. David Mathews
  3. pp. 37-43
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  1. 2. A Democracy's College Tradition
  2. Scott J. Peters
  3. pp. 44-52
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  1. 3. The Democratic Roots of Academic Professionalism
  2. Albert W. Dzur
  3. pp. 53-62
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  1. II. Policy Makers and Presidents as Architects of Change
  1. 4. Democracy's Future—The Federal Perspective
  2. Martha Kanter
  3. pp. 65-74
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  1. 5. Reinventing Scholar-Educators as Citizens and Public Workers
  2. Nancy Cantor, Peter Englot
  3. pp. 75-79
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  1. 6. Institutionalizing Civic Engagement at the University of Minnesota
  2. Robert Bruininks, Andy Furco, Robert Jones, Jayne K. Sommers, Erin A. Konkle
  3. pp. 80-90
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  1. 7. Education for a Rapidly Changing World
  2. Judith A. Ramaley
  3. pp. 91-98
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  1. 8. Preparing Students for Work as Citizens: Reflections of a New College President
  2. Adam Weinberg
  3. pp. 99-106
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  1. III. The Faculty Experience and Faculty as Agents of Change
  1. 9. Can a New Culture of Civic Professionalism Flourish?
  2. Maria Avila
  3. pp. 109-114
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  1. 10. Transformational Ecotones: The Craftsperson Ethos and Higher Education
  2. Romand Coles, Blase Scarnati
  3. pp. 115-125
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  1. 11. Dismantling Inequality Regarding Scholarship
  2. KerryAnn O’Meara
  3. pp. 126-130
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  1. 12. The Emerging Citizenry of Academe
  2. Timothy K. Eatman
  3. pp. 131-138
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  1. IV. From Citizen-Student to Citizen-Alumni: Students and Alumni as Agents of Change
  1. 13. Becoming a Civic Artist
  2. Jamie Haft
  3. pp. 141-146
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  1. 14. What's Doctoral Education Got to Do with It?: Graduate School Socialization and the Essential Democratic Work of the Academy
  2. Cecilia M. Orphan
  3. pp. 147-153
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  1. 15. Fostering Civic Agency by Making Education (and Ourselves) "Real"
  2. David Hoffman
  3. pp. 154-160
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  1. 16. The Civic Creativity of Alumni
  2. Julie Ellison
  3. pp. 161-172
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  1. V. Community Organizers Consider the Challenges
  1. 17. Breaking the Civic Spirit: Experiences of Young Organizers
  2. Jenny L. Whitcher
  3. pp. 175-184
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  1. 18. "On Tap," Not "On Top"
  2. Robert L. Woodson Sr.
  3. pp. 185-189
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  1. 19. How Can Higher Education Reclaim Its Power?
  2. Sam Daley-Harris
  3. pp. 190-196
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  1. VI. Possible Futures
  1. 20. Illiberal Education
  2. Benjamin R. Barber
  3. pp. 199-203
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  1. 21. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: The Economic Impact of Public Work
  2. Peter Levine
  3. pp. 204-210
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  1. 22. Reflections of a Civic Scientist
  2. John P. Spencer
  3. pp. 211-220
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  1. 23. Higher Education and Political Citizenship: The Japanese Case
  2. Shigeo Kodama
  3. pp. 221-225
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  1. 24. The Promise of Black Consciousness
  2. Xolela Mangcu
  3. pp. 226-234
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  1. 25. Teaching as Public Work
  2. Lisa Clarke
  3. pp. 235-244
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  1. VII. Summing Up
  1. 26. Organizing Higher Education Between the Times
  2. Paul N. Markham
  3. pp. 247-254
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  1. 27. The Soul of Higher Education: Concluding Reflections
  2. Harry C. Boyte
  3. pp. 255-266
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  1. Contributors
  2. pp. 267-274
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