Anchoring Democracy: The Civic Imperative for Higher Education

American colleges and universities are facing a civic imperative. The nation is floundering, if not unwinding. Democracies are vulnerable social constructions. They flourish in eras of social consensus and economic prosperity, when citizens believe in the prospect of brighter futures. They stumble,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLiberal Education Vol. 104; no. 1; pp. 26 - 33
Main Author Guarasci, Richard
Format Journal Article Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Association of American Colleges and Universities 2018
Subjects
Citizen Participation
Civics
College School Cooperation
Colleges & universities
Conflict
Critical Thinking
Democracy
Education
Elementary School Students
Emigration and immigration
High schools
Higher Education
Institutional Mission
Nativism
Partnerships in Education
Program Descriptions
Racial Bias
Racism
Reading comprehension
Reading Skills
Role of Education
Social aspects
Social change
Social Class
Students
Universities
Universities and colleges
White supremacy
White supremacy movements
New York
New Jersey
Nebraska
Pennsylvania
United States > US
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Summary:American colleges and universities are facing a civic imperative. The nation is floundering, if not unwinding. Democracies are vulnerable social constructions. They flourish in eras of social consensus and economic prosperity, when citizens believe in the prospect of brighter futures. They stumble, if not decay, during times of harsh economic downturn, deep social conflict, and political atrophy. The United States is not immune from these challenges, as was painfully illustrated by its Civil War, the inevitable result of the fundamental contradiction between its commitment to liberty and equality and its reliance on slavery and class subordination. In this article, the author presents the civic role of higher education.
ISSN:0024-1822
2693-518X