An art historian discusses the importance of developing a more inclusive globalized curriculum that includes perspectives of multiple cultures and develops a respect for the intricacies of human knowledge. Examples are from the author's art history classes at the University of the District of Columbia. (DB)

This personal response to German history by a professor attending a major conference at the University of Heidelberg reflects on the country's long history of education and research, the role of language in history, a speech urging tolerance by the Dutch woman who protected Anne Frank's family, and her reactions to a visit to the Dachau…

A history professor explains why he requires students to read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, "The Narrative of Frederick Douglass." He finds students, both African American and white, react powerfully to the book (many choose to write a paper on Douglass) and feels the book touches upon nearly all the overarching problems of U.S.…

A professor recounts how he communicates his philosophy of education and establishes an interactive classroom atmosphere during a class's first meeting by using a questioning, game-like discussion of the meanings of such terms as "education,""student," and "teacher." (DB)

This essay examines the origins of academic freedom in the nation's higher education institutions and explores the current debate about academic freedom. It suggests that postmodernist thinking that questions the existence of any truth may be a threat to the academic freedom valued by the professoriate, who are described as a "quarrel of…

Discussion of higher education faculty and unions urges a "public professional unionism" in which faculty and staff work cooperatively with administrators to promote quality in instruction and a high level of professionalism through participative decision making. Argues that higher education unions must also pay more attention in collective…

Recounts how the part-time faculty at Chicago's Columbia College (Illinois) dramatically improved salaries and gained a strong voice in college decision making through unionization. Emphasis is on the negotiation process which worked to obtain the group's goals without undermining the "rather friendly college environment." (DB)

Two graduate teaching assistants, veterans of the Yale (Connecticut) "grade strike," discuss the importance of graduate students to the academic enterprise and how "the casualization of academic labor" impacts on higher learning in general and faculty in particular. They urge faculty to join with graduate assistants to check this trend and support…

Interview with Charlene Teters, Native American artist and activist, focuses on her role as leader of the national campaign to eliminate Native American symbols as college sports mascots, and especially on her experience as a University of Illinois graduate student, where the Native American symbol and mascot continues to be used despite a faculty…

Discussion of student retention at community colleges identifies reasons for student failure and withdrawal, concluding that many students leave school for reasons such as emotional problems, poor motivation, and financial problems over which instructors have no control. Suggests too much emphasis on retaining ill-prepared students detracts from…

Asserts that pressing the corporate model onto the university world jeopardizes the preservation of precious academic values and broader democratic rights, stating that the corporate model concentrates power, restricts the production and application of knowledge, and increases uniform behavior, self-censorship, and when needed outright…

Describes the rise of an academic-industrial complex through which American and multinational corporations siphon the publicly created resources of universities and thereby convert publicly financed research into private gain. Asserts that this new corporate dominance represents an unprecedented intrusion into the heart of academic freedom which…

Asserts that in the wake of increasing corporate influence from the outside and corresponding pressure for corporate support from within, universities are allowing academic freedom to be diminished. Discusses how this threat to academic freedom has taken at least three forms: suppression, erosion, and corruption. Describes the historical and…

Describes how collective bargaining has emerged as an important factor in higher education, with some faculty resisting unionism as a threat to status and dignity. Seeks to refute the source of such resistance, the "myth of academe," or the belief that faculty lead lives devoted to selfless pursuit of knowledge in institutions carefully organized…

Discusses how in addition to developing students' individual aptitudes, education must help students understand their connections to the world at large. Describes the connections that should be illuminated for students and the role of teachers in this process. (EV)