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HON 201-01
Honors Seminar:
The Politics and Economics of Liberal Education


Dr. Large
Dr. Knippenberg

Telephone:

Dr. Large: (404)-364-8320
Dr. Knippenberg: (404)-364-8341

Dr. Large: llarge@facstaff.oglethorpe.edu
Email: jknippenberg@facstaff.oglethorpe.edu

In this seminar we will examine the past and present, and ponder the future of a "distinctively American" educational institution, the residential liberal arts college. Created early in America's history (Harvard was founded in 1636), liberal arts colleges were once the principal means of educating our political and religious leaders. But with the rise of the publicly-sponsored agricultural, mechanical, and normal colleges, the German-inspired research universities, and the vast expansion of public access to higher education since the end of World War II, the market share of liberal arts colleges has dwindled to less than two per cent.

Nevertheless liberal arts colleges remain quite influential as models of excellence and effectiveness in pedagogy and as sources of leaders in various sectors of society. Virtually every "honors program" at a state college or university reproduces at least some of the features embodied in liberal arts colleges: small, interactive classes, an emphasis on critical engagement with "primary sources" of various sorts, an encounter with the many traditions that have found a home in the United States, and close contact between students and faculty. Furthermore, many state university systems have in recent years designated one of their members as the state's "public liberal arts college." We in the liberal arts colleges must be doing something right.

At the same time, we face many challenges. Liberal education requires both "high touch" and "high tech." It is expensive to undertake. It demands a lot of both faculty and students. As such, it is perceived as both elitist and impractical, both of which amount to harsh terms of opprobrium in a pragmatic and democratic society. These perceptions more than occasionally make it difficult to secure the money it takes to operate a liberal arts college. Donors often want immediate practical results, whether it be in scientific research, social change, or athletic success. They also may not want to support an enterprise that seems to be a remnant of some distant aristocratic past. And because they share in the democratic and pragmatic ethos of the society in which they were raised, students may be put off by similar considerations.

If liberal arts colleges are to survive and to remain influential, they must address these issues. Do they become small versions of large state universities- a UGA without a parking problem? Do they become mini-research institutions-an Emory where the profs have to put up with undergraduates now and again and where, consequently, the research expectations are not quite as high? Or does there remain a distinctive and valuable place for private liberal arts colleges, one that is defensible, either in terms of the social good they promote or in terms of the timeless truths they protect?

TEXTS:

Please purchase the following books:

Koblik and Graubard, eds., Distinctively American: The Residential Liberal Arts Colleges
Alan Ryan, Liberal Anxieties and Liberal Education
Martha Nussbaum, Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:

One major project…………………………………………………..75%
Due:
April 25
Participation………………………………………………………...25%

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND REGULATIONS:

In accordance with Oglethorpe's Honor Code, all the work you hand in must be pledged: "I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid in completing this assignment." For the purposes of this course, "unauthorized aid" consists in plagiarism, which (as "The 'O' Boo" states) "includes representing someone else's words, ideas,...or original research as one's own and, in general, failing to footnote or otherwise acknowledge the source of such work." If in completing an assignment you consult secondary sources, be sure to cite them properly. Unless we announce otherwise, you may discuss any assignment with your colleagues, but the work you submit must be your own. You may find the complete text of the Honor Code in "The 'O' Book."

Attendance is mandatory. I reserve the right to give the grade "FA" to students who regularly miss class.

I penalize late papers two points per weekday, up to a total of ten points, after which I will not accept them. We will not reschedule exams without a medical excuse. I will, however, be pleased to help you manage your academic schedules by granting extensions on papers if you request them one week in advance.

If for some reason you have to take an "Incomplete" in this course, you must arrange it with me before the end of the term. We must agree to a contract containing a schedule for the completion of the course requirements. You must then take the initiative in completing the work.

You may find the grading scale, as well as the policy governing the S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) option, on pp. 67-68 of the 1998-2000 Oglethorpe University Bulletin.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:

January 17, INTRODUCTION

Read:
Tocqueville, Democracy in America, selections handed out in class

January 24, A PRIMER IN HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE: REVENUE,
EXPENDITURES, AND THE MARKETPLACE

Read:
David Owen, "State-of-the-Art Panhandling" (handout)
Paul Neely, "The Threats to Liberal Arts Colleges" (KG or handout)

Recommended: Joseph Froomkin, "The Impact of Changing Levels of Financial Resources on the Structure of Colleges and Universities"

JANUARY 31, THE FISCAL THREATS TO LIBERAL LEARNING (start at 12:30)

Read:
Hugh Hawkins, "The Making of the Liberal Arts College Identity" (KG)
McPherson and Schapiro, "The Future Economic Challenges for Liberal Arts Colleges" (KG)
Winston and Zimmerman, "Where is Aggressive Price Competition Taking Higher Education?" (handout)

FEBRUARY 7, CLASSIC MISSIONS: STATESMANSHIP AND RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP
(start at 12:30)

Read:
Ryan, chs. 1 and 3
Peter J. Gomes, "Affirmation and Adaptation: Values and the Elite Residential College" (KG)

FEBRUARY 21, CONTEMPORARY MISSIONS: SERVING PLURAL COMMUNITIES AND PLURAL SELVES

Read: Richard H. Hersh, "Generating Ideals and Transforming Lives: A Contemporary Case for the Residential Liberal Arts College" (KG)
Nussbaum, Intro, chs. 2 and 3

MARCH 7, THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED (start at 12:30)

MARCH 14, PRAGMATISM VS. IDEALISM IN DEFENSE OF LIBERAL EDUCATION

Read: Hersh (again)
Eva T. H. Brann, "The American College as the Place for Liberal learning" (KG)

MARCH 28, GOVERNANCE

APRIL 11, MISSIONS, MENUS, AND MARKETS: CURRICULAR VARIETY IN LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

Read: Selections from KG (related to your major)
College websites tba

APRIL 25, THE FUTURE OF LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

Read:
Selected Oglethorpe strategic planning documents

APRIL 3 (evening): TENTATIVE ROUNDTABLE ON THE FUTURE OF LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

Participants, time, and venue tba