2013 Dewey Lecture: College--What Is It Good For?

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	2013 Dewey Lecture: College--What Is It Good For?
Language:	English
Authors:	Labaree, David F.
Source:	Education and Culture. Spr 2014 30(1):3-15.
Availability:	Purdue University Press. Stewart Center Room 370, 504 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Tel: 800-247-6553; Fax: 419-281-6883; e-mail: pupress@purdue,edu; Web site: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/eandc/
Peer Reviewed:	Y
Page Count:	13
Publication Date:	2014
Document Type:	Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative
Education Level:	Higher Education Postsecondary Education
Descriptors:	Higher Education, Educational Philosophy, Educational Attitudes, Freedom of Speech, Educational History, Educational Objectives, College Faculty, Democratic Values
DOI:	10.1353/eac.2014.0006
ISSN:	1085-4908
Abstract:	In this 2013 John Dewey Society Lecture I examine the history and the structure of the American system of higher education. I argue that the true hero of the story is the evolved "form" of the American university and that all the things we love about it, like free speech, are the side effects of a structure that arose for other purposes. I tell this story in three parts. First I explore how the American system of higher education emerged in the nineteenth century, without a plan and without any apparent promise that it would turn out well. Then I show how this process created an astonishingly strong, resilient, and powerful structure, which deftly balances competing aims--the populist, the practical, and the elite. Then I veer back toward the issue raised in the title, to figure out what the connection is between the form of American higher education and the things that it is good for. I argue that the form serves the extraordinarily useful functions of protecting those of us in the faculty from the real world, protecting us from each other, and hiding what we're doing behind a set of fictions and veneers that keep anyone from knowing exactly what is really going on. Awkwardly, this means that the institution depends on attributes that we would publicly deplore: chaotic complexity, hypocrisy, and opacity. I end with a call for us to retreat from substance and stand shoulder-to-shoulder in defense of procedure.
Abstractor:	As Provided
Entry Date:	2014
Accession Number:	EJ1030509
Database:	ERIC

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Items	– Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: 2013 Dewey Lecture: College--What Is It Good For? – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Labaree%2C+David+F%2E%22">Labaree, David F.</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Education+and+Culture%22"><i>Education and Culture</i></searchLink>. Spr 2014 30(1):3-15. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Purdue University Press. Stewart Center Room 370, 504 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Tel: 800-247-6553; Fax: 419-281-6883; e-mail: pupress@purdue,edu; Web site: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/eandc/ – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 13 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2014 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Philosophy%22">Educational Philosophy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Attitudes%22">Educational Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Freedom+of+Speech%22">Freedom of Speech</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+History%22">Educational History</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Objectives%22">Educational Objectives</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Faculty%22">College Faculty</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Democratic+Values%22">Democratic Values</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1353/eac.2014.0006 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1085-4908 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: In this 2013 John Dewey Society Lecture I examine the history and the structure of the American system of higher education. I argue that the true hero of the story is the evolved "form" of the American university and that all the things we love about it, like free speech, are the side effects of a structure that arose for other purposes. I tell this story in three parts. First I explore how the American system of higher education emerged in the nineteenth century, without a plan and without any apparent promise that it would turn out well. Then I show how this process created an astonishingly strong, resilient, and powerful structure, which deftly balances competing aims--the populist, the practical, and the elite. Then I veer back toward the issue raised in the title, to figure out what the connection is between the form of American higher education and the things that it is good for. I argue that the form serves the extraordinarily useful functions of protecting those of us in the faculty from the real world, protecting us from each other, and hiding what we're doing behind a set of fictions and veneers that keep anyone from knowing exactly what is really going on. Awkwardly, this means that the institution depends on attributes that we would publicly deplore: chaotic complexity, hypocrisy, and opacity. I end with a call for us to retreat from substance and stand shoulder-to-shoulder in defense of procedure. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2014 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1030509
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RecordInfo	BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1353/eac.2014.0006 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 3 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Higher Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Philosophy Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Freedom of Speech Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational History Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Objectives Type: general – SubjectFull: College Faculty Type: general – SubjectFull: Democratic Values Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: 2013 Dewey Lecture: College--What Is It Good For? Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Labaree, David F. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2014 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1085-4908 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 30 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Education and Culture Type: main
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