The Assault on Universities A Manifesto for Resistance

by Bailey, Michael; Freedman, Des

• ISBN13: 9780745331911
• ISBN10: 0745331912
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-15
• Publisher: PLUTO PRESS

Summary

With funding cuts well underway and many institutions already promising to charge the maximum £9,000 yearly tuition fee, university education for the majority is under threat. This book exposes the true motives behind the government's programme and provides the analytical tools to fight it.Widespread student protests and occupations, often supported by staff, unions and society at large, show the public's opposition to funding cuts and fee increases. The contributors to this sharp, well-written collection, many of whom are active participants in the anti-cuts movement, outline what's at stake and why it matters. They argue that university education is becoming increasingly skewed towards vocational degrees, which devalues the arts and social sciences subjects that allow creativity and political inquiry to flourish.Released at the beginning of the new academic year, this book will be at the heart of debates around the future of higher education in the UK and beyond, inspiring both new and seasoned activists in the fight for the soul of our universities.

Author Biography

Michael Bailey is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Essex. He has held visiting fellowships at Goldsmiths, the LSE and at the University of Cambridge. Des Freedman is Reader in Communications and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
1.  An Introduction to Education Reform and Resistance by Des Freedman
Part 1: THE CHANGING IDEA OF THE UNIVERSITY
2.  The Idea of the University, by John K. Walton
3.  What is a University Education For?, by Neil Faulkner
4.  Fighting for the University’s Life by Nick Couldry
Part II: CURRENT CHALLENGES AND FUTURE VISIONS
5.  Economic Alternatives in the Current Crisis, by Aeron Davis
6.  Re-Imagining the Public Good, by Jon Nixon
7.  The War Against Democracy and Education, by Nick Stevenson
Part III: CRITICAL PEDAGOGY
8.  The University as a Political Space, by Alberto Toscano
9.  The Academic as Truth-Teller, by Michael Bailey
10.  Impoverished Pedagogy, Privatised Practice, by Natalie Fenton
Part IV: STUDENT POLITICS
11.  Students Revolts Then and Now, by John Rees
12.  The Politics of Occupation, by Feyzi Ismail
13.  Achievements and Limitations of the UK Student Movement, by Ashok Kumar
Part V: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
14. Beyond the Swindle of the Corporate University by Henry A. Giroux
15. Education Reforms in a European Context, by Marion von Osten
16.  International Students and the Globalization of Higher Education, by Kirsten Forkert
The Manifesto
Notes on contributors
Index