300128 Sociology of Higher Education (S) (WiSe 2021/2022)

Over the course of the last several decades higher education has achieved the status of a central institution in contemporary societies. Its role has been increasingly recognized as vital for pursuing individual and collective purposes: from upward social mobility to reducing inequality on a large scale; from contributing to economic development to boosting the international reputation of countries; from fulfilling individual aspirations to tackling grand challenges. In parallel with its historical expansion since WWII, higher education has been increasingly more subjected to external scrutiny, typically taking the form of various evaluation mechanisms, from accreditation schemes to international rankings. This has led to ever more pressure on universities to “perform” (better) but also compete with one another, nationally and internationally. These trends have had - and continue to have - a profound effect on higher education around the world. Why is this happening, what are the consequences and how can we make sense of it?

During the course we will examine these, as well as other current debates and problems faced by higher education, in Europe, elsewhere and internationally.

The syllabus, including the literature, will be available in the course Lernraum during the first week of the semester. The language of the seminar is English.

Zoom link and other relevant information can be found in the Lernraum.