Publisher's Synopsis
Treatises on democracy in higher education are hardly original undertakings in today's troubled, often acrimonious campus environments. All the 'hot button' issues -- racial preferences in admissions, sexual harassment, government funding, multiculturalism, speech codes, even formulating the core curriculum -- sooner or later drag in 'democracy'. In fact, academic democracy has become a virtual scholarly mini-industry. The authors bring a breath of fresh perspectives to this expansive subject, a collection of analyses written by scholars seldom invited to prestigious conferences dominated by eminent presidents, trustees, provosts, and all the other educational 'leaders' who normally define public discourse at a safe distance from the classroom. The authors eschew the customary offering of high-sounding speeches, platitudes and rhapsodising about the democratic role of education, especially well-funded education.
