1
Modern Universities and the New Public Sphere: Historical and Critical Perspectives
Course Instructor: Dina Gusejnova (LSE), Alexander Etkind (CEU), Andrea Peto (CEU), José Manuel Barreto (Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá)
Teaching Assistant: Sophie Raehme (CEU) Course Type: BA, MA – OSUN global course
Crosslisted: International Relations, History, Gender Studies
Course Time: Winter 2022/23 online (Time: Monday 17.30-19.30CET) Zoom link:
https://ceu-edu.zoom.us/j/92854868247?pwd=ZFVYUHR6ald3OW9pdXhMd05OL3Fzdz09 Meeting ID: 928 5486 8247 Passcode: 574444 Course Credits: 2
[Photo: ‘Mill Junction Project’, Student housing made from grain silos and shipping containers, Johannesburg, South Africa. Citiq development]
Course Description
Having access to higher education is a universally acknowledged human right. This course asks students to explore the institutions and processes of education from critical and historical perspectives. Is it true that knowledge is an ever-expanding web of data and information? How were modern universities shaped and reshaped by practices of power? What do we know about individuals who created these universities, adjusted to them, resisted, and refashioned them?
What was the impact of the modern public sphere on academic life? How did and do societies react to excluding some groups from knowledge, education, and power? How do political regimes and ideologies imagine universities, and what happens to this imagery after its implementation? How can knowledge about historical conflicts help us make sense of current political campaigns within universities? To what extent should universities be sites of political action, and what does the historical experience teach us about acting in these contexts? How significant is a technological change for shaping academic communities connected or divided by age, class, ethnicity or generation? What are the relations between university life, the broader public sphere of political struggle and cultural production? What are the means and
2 ends of decolonizing the university? How do events such as wars, pandemics, or climate crises impact university life?
This collaborative course between Universidad de los Andes, CEU and LSE under the auspices of OSUN will delve into the history of the modern university from a European and a global perspective. The practical experience of the instructors comes from the triangle of Latin America, Central Europe, and Northern Eurasia and will be supplemented by expertise from visiting speakers. Examining the university through a range of competing concepts of the public sphere, political action, structural equality, and decolonization, students will understand how universities produce or mitigate inequality, struggle for recognition and visibility, but also comply with various forms of oppression and exclusion. Surveying the turning points of this development from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries, the course will place the European university tradition in global contexts and look at its dramatic changes. In addition to exploring a range of theoretical perspectives to shed light on the relationship between universities and power, the course convenors are connected to a range of support efforts for academics at risk, ranging from the University of New Europe collective to NGOs such as akno.network and international academic networks such as CIVICA. This collaborative OSUN network course will draw on this experience on the ground, seeking to rethink the relations between academic freedom and universities and to give agency and voice to threatened academics from theatres of war, conflict zones, and repressive states of the world. The course syllabus is developed in partnership with colleagues from universities, NGOs, and academics at risk due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Thinking and teaching with these partners, we will suggest innovative ways of scholarship that will have real-world implications in the most challenging contexts -- regional, national and global.
Learning Outcomes
The course will promote a diachronic understanding of the European and global origins of modern universities whilst also providing insights into their global situation. It will also facilitate a more nuanced grasp of the function of the relationship as places of inclusion or exclusion, as institutions whose function may range from that of a tool of propaganda to that of a site of resistance. Students will explore the way relationships in society at large are refracted through the learning process in ways that can both support and challenge existing hierarchies. Universities will emerge as a microcosm of major political forces in the world, from recognition and emancipation to exclusion and marginalization. At the end of the course, students should be able to:
• Know the outlines of the evolution of the modern research university
• Understand the social, economic, and political factors shaping university life
• Apply their critical understanding of universities across different case studies
• Be confident in interpreting the cultural and intellectual history of universities through the lenses of gender, decolonial and critical theory
• Be able to compare the changing function of universities in different political regimes and global political contexts, including democracies, dictatorships, colonialism, Cold War and contemporary contexts like neoliberalism and neo-colonial globalization.
3 Requirements and Assessment
Enrolled students are required to attend all classes and to participate in class discussions online and offline based on the readings and podcast/video lectures assigned for that week. During the semester, students are expected to produce a group project in the medium of either text, podcast, or video, which involves students from all three collaborating institutions and explores one of the weekly topics through the discussion of a particular place within their university. Topics can range from the analysis of the way particular public spaces condition social relations to the history of emotions, from the exploration of venues as locations for intellectual events to the study of different architectural styles in contexts. The course relies on the contribution of all students from the collaborating institutions as a space of knowledge production. Student presentations will be nominated for a prize.
Group Assignments (Students have a choice of two topics for this group assignment) 1) Space and the University (Case Study) 2) Critical Reflection
This project involves linking one of the weekly topics to a particular space within a university. (Students will receive a
supporting reading list introducing them to different methodological approaches to spatial history.)
Workshop groups formed in week three should proceed in the following way:
1. Meet and brainstorm for possible case studies, write up individual proposals for spaces and collect them in one portfolio to be sent to instructors and collect them (each proposal is 20% of the assessment)
2. Choose one space as a group, and write up the group’s proposal for the case study of choice (each group proposal is 20% of the assessment)
3. Choose a topic from the weekly sessions' reading list that will link to your spatial case study. Topics should cover materials from week six onwards.
4. Divide up the research or fieldwork tasks 5. Collect the analysis from each group member and write up the finished presentation (text, podcast, video, or PowerPoint, 20% of the assessment) 6. Present the work in class. Presentations should include a reflection on the process of working on the project (20% of the
assessment)
This topic involves a critical reflection on a selection of readings. Students are required to select on topics 6-11 of the course.
Workshop groups working on this topic should proceed in the following way:
1. Collect annotated bibliographies based on individual selections to be sent to instructors (each proposal is 20% of the assessment) 2. Choose a medium in which you will engage in critical discussions (text, podcast) 3. Choose a topic around which you will curate your set of readings for joint discussion and write a proposal. Topics should cover materials from week six onwards. (20% of the assessment) 4. Divide up research and tasks
5. Complete the finished presentation (20%
of the assessment)
6. Present a reflection on the work process in class (20% of the assessment)
4 Case studies could include spaces such as
the library, the auditorium, the corridor, spaces outside the university building where learning and teaching happen, and the virtual lecture room.
Course Workload: This course will require “engaged academic time” of 98 hours for CEU students. (For students from the partner institutions, requirements will be
communicated separately.)
24 hours = In-class type activities (12 x 2 hours) 48 hours = Assigned readings, podcasts
26 hours = Group work
Evaluation (Members of the group receive the same grade)
Proposal: 20% (in a merged pdf file of all group members, due after their first meeting, members of the group get the same grade)
Draft Description: 20%
Final Project (text, podcast, video, or PowerPoint): uploaded by 11 February 2023, 20%
Presentation: (reflection on the findings, not longer than 20min) 20%
Class participation (includes viewing the presentations before and bringing at least one point to the class you learned from the presentation and sharing it with the course.) Student presentations will be nominated for a prize.
Grading and Research Paper
Instructors will collaborate in planning, designing, teaching the joint sessions and evaluating the work. They will also hold supplementary sessions for their students to fulfil each institution’s academic and credit criteria. Instructors will have office hours. Students should feel free to ask for appointments. Group work assignments will create synergy among the students of the three collaborating institutions. After the introductory talk and during the breakout sessions at each meeting, the different groups will discuss the three questions formulated by the lecturer for that class posted before the class on Moodle. Students in each breakout session will then prepare a joint document responding to one of the set questions.
After the breakout sessions and the sharing of group reports on the various discussions, the lecturer for the given week will summarize the takeaway points.
Forms of collaboration
The collaborating institutions work on different calendars. The term runs for CEU for 12 weeks; for LSE for 11 weeks; for Universidad los Andes for 10 weeks. Therefore, the overlapping time for blended learning will run from 9 January until 24 March 2022. The partners will hold a joint 90-minute, streamed session from 17.30 until 19:30 CET on
5 Mondays over 12 weeks. Each session will start with a dialogue between the lecturer for the previous session and the lecturer for the current session about areas of intersection and difference. The sessions will be recorded for use in this course only. Where appropriate, the partner institutions will organize separate, internal sessions to address differences in scheduling. Class time will include guided discussions, group discussions, talks by instructors and invited guests, and student presentations. The instructors, supported by the technical and administrative teams of their institution, exchange best practices in syllabus design and research-led teaching. The team of instructors also draw on the expertise of contributing guest speakers at different stages of planning and delivering the teaching.
Live Sessions/Virtual Classes
All students are required to attend the scheduled live virtual class sessions in person or online.
We will use zoom for these sessions. During the class, you are expected to follow the etiquette:
switch on your micro only when speaking and switch on your camera. These meetings are scheduled in CET. Spend time to ensure you are also technically prepared for the class but do not be shy to ask for assistance. The session will remain open for 15 minutes after the official class ends to facilitate informal conversations.
• Students should bring their laptops to class to be able to connect on zoom. If you do not have a laptop, please get in touch with the instructor.
• Readings, deadlines, and additional tasks are available on Moodle. All times are in CET. To calculate your time zone, use:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
• During the live sessions, please follow the etiquette explained on Moodle.
Plagiarism
Make sure you avoid plagiarism or even the vague possibility of plagiarism. Note that copying from the internet or even taking ideas from internet sources without proper citation is also a form of plagiarism, not only copying from paper-based texts. Paraphrase other people’s arguments whenever possible and add proper citations from the original text. Quote only if necessary. Students who plagiarize will first receive a warning; if another incident of plagiarism occurs, then they will fail the course. The course’s Moodle platform automatically checks uploaded assignments using plagiarism software.
A Note on Learning Disabilities
You will have to read a substantial body of material and complete written work for this course.
If you have a documented learning disability and need extra time or help to undertake these types of tasks, please let us know in advance, and we will find a way to accommodate your needs.
6 Community Guidelines and Agreement
Our commitment is to create a climate of mutual respect where students can feel comfortable sharing information, asking questions, and trying out new skills. We ask that you make a similar commitment. The following values and guidelines have been proposed as a means of ensuring an open and respectful engagement between the participants in this course. Students are invited to contact the teaching assistant if they wish to add to or amend these guidelines.
• Give classmates and instructors your full attention.
• Treat others and their opinions with courtesy and respect.
• Be aware that students are coming to the conversation from different backgrounds and contexts
• Assume that all participants are contributing to the discussion with constructive intent and in good faith
Students are also asked to maintain appropriate academic and professional etiquette. Be sure to read all the messages in a thread before replying. Avoid short, generic replies such as,
“I agree”. You should include why you agree or enlarge on the previous point. Always give proper credit when referencing or quoting peers, published or unpublished sources. Make posts that are on topic and within the scope of the course material; please review and edit your posts before sending them. When you disagree with someone, express your differing opinion in a respectful, constructive way.
Teaching Assistant
The Teaching Assistant (TA) for the course will be available to discuss your questions and concerns about the group work. Her office hours will be on Moodle. Please write an email to Raehme_Sophie@phd.ceu.edu to sign in for a slot in advance. In addition, please note that the purpose of a consultation is not to have your text proofread for you. Instead, the TA will provide you with feedback and advice to assist you in improving your work.
Course Topics and Schedule
Week Course Topics Schedule Professors
(required readings)
Sessions
1 Introduction 9 January, CEU
only
Etkind, Peto
2 Universities, Churches, and Ideologies: public spheres and the modern era
16 January, LSE joins
Etkind (Gestrich, Surman, Kirwan, Lazerson) 3 Emancipating the self or
dominating others?
Introductory roundtable on universities from a global perspective
23 January, Universidad de los Andes joins
Roundtable Session also used to fine- tune technical connections for
7 hybrid
classrooms 4 Imperial universities and
colonial violence
6 February Barreto (Allemann)
Sign-up for workshops [Students form groups and pick topics]
5 Engineering the citizens:
Enlightenment legacies and the post-war university
30 January Gusejnova Guest keynote, no readings this week 6 Gender wars and the
universities
13 February Petö
(Sachs, Suissa and Sullivan)
Student presentations start on the topic of this class 7 Universities, slavery, and
decolonisation
20 February Barreto (Roberts)
Presentation 2 on the topic of this class 8 Universities under
dictatorships
27 February Gusejnova (Heidegger, Milosz)
Presentation 3 on the topic of this class 9 Underground universities and
captivity in two World Wars
6 March Gusejnova
(Trockij, Morozova, Guesjnova)
Presentation 4 on the topic of this class 10 Cold War universities,
protest movements, and resistance
13 March Petö, Etkind (Ahmed, Ignatieff, Readings)
Presentation 5 on the topic of this class 11 Universities on Global
Markets: academia, neoliberalism, and the military
20 March Barreto
(Holmwood)
Presentation 6 for students who were not able to present at earlier sessions Roundtable of founders of UNE in person 12 The Anthropocene, global
challenges, and the university system
27 March Closing
Roundtable
Closing Roundtable
Bibliography
Ahmed, Sara 2012. On Being Included. Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life. Duke University Press. 19-51.
8 Allemann, Daniel, 2018. Empire and the right to preach the gospel in the school of Salamanca, 1535- 1560. The Historical Journal: 1-21.
Benda, Václav 1991. ‘Parallel Polis’, in H. Gordon Skilling and Paul Wilson (editors). Civic Freedom in Central Europe: Voices from Czechoslovakia. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 35-41.
Bilska-Wodecka, Elżbieta et al. 2022. ‘Polish Geography and Polish Geographers under Nazi Occupation’, Journal of Historical Geography 75: 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2021.11.001.
Clark, William 2006. Academic Charisma and the Origins of the Research University. University of Chicago Press. Selected parts.
Dahlum, Sirianne and Tore, Wig 2020. Chaos on Campus: Universities and Mass Political Protest, Comparative Political Studies 54(1): 3–32.
Derrida, Jacques 2004. Eyes of the University: Right to Philosophy 2, transl. Jan Plug et al. Stanford University Press. (recommended)
Fisher, Maisha T. 2006. ‘Earning "Dual Degrees": Black Bookstores as Alternative Knowledge Spaces’, Anthropology & Education Quarterly 37(1): 83-99.
Gestrich, Andreas 2006. "The public sphere and the Habermas debate", German History 24(3): 413- 430.
Gusejnova, Dina 2020. ‘“Gegen Deutsches K.Z. Paradies.” Thinking about Englishness on the Isle of Man during the Second World War’, History of European Ideas 46(5): 697–714, https://doi.org/10.1080/01916599.2020.1746076.
Habermas, Jürgen 1986. ‘The Idea of the University: Learning Processes’, New German Critique 41:
3-22.
Heidegger, Martin 1985. ‘The Self-Assertion of the German University’, The Review of Metaphysics 38(3): 467–502.
Heidegger, Martin 2000. „Rektoratsrede“. Martin Heidegger, ‘Die Selbstbehauptung der deutschen Universität’, in Hermann Heidegger (editor). Martin Heidegger, Gesamtausgabe: Veröffentlichte Schriften 1910–1976: Reden und andere Zeugnisse eines Lebensweges: 1910–1976, Part I, vol. XVI, Frankfurt am Main.
Holmwood, John 2018. Race and the Neoliberal University: Lessons from the Public University, in Gurminder K. Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial and Kerem Nişancıoğlu (editors). Decolonising the University.
Pluto Press, 37-53.
Ignatieff, Michael 2018. "Academic freedom and the future of Europe." Centre for Global Higher Education Working Paper 40, https://www.researchcghe.org/perch/resources/publications/wp40.pdf.
Ignatieff, Michael, and Stefan Roch 2018. Academic freedom: the global challenge. Central European University Press.selected sections
Josephson, Peter, Karlsohn, Thomas and Österling, Johan 2014. The Humboldtian Tradition: Origins and Legacies. Leiden and Boston: Brill. selected sections
Mazon, Patricia M. 2003. Gender and the Modern Research University: the Admission of Women to German Higher Education, 1865-1914. Stanford University Press.
Milosz, Czeslaw 1953. The Captive Mind, trans. Jan Zielonko. New York: Knopf. selected sections Morozova, Alla 2022. ‘” Pedagogy of the oppressed” in Russian: A.A. Bogdanov and Paolo Freire’, Vestnik permskogo universiteta. Istoria 1(56): 172-183.
9 Nakai (Sugiyama), Anna 2019. ‘Building Space for Philosophy: Ideas behind the Underground University in Czechoslovakia’, in Brooke L. Rogers and Anna Nakai (Sugiyama) (editors). Space and Place: Diversity in Reality, Imagination, and Representation. Boston: Brill, 175-85.
Roberts, John, Rordiguez Cruz, Àgueda M. and Herbst, Jurgen 2010. Exporting Models, in Walter Rüegg (editor). A history of the university in Europe: Volume 4, universities since 1945. Cambridge University Press. selected sections
Rothblatt, Sheldon 1997. The Modern University and Its Discontents: The Fate of Newman’s Legacies in Britain and America. Cambridge University Press. (recommended)
Rüegg, Walter 2010. A history of the university in Europe: Volume 4, universities since 1945.
Cambridge University Press. (recommended)
Sachs, Jeffrey 2021. The New War on Woke. State and national governments try to suppress critical race theory, social justice, and related concepts, https://medium.com/arc-digital/the-new-war-on- woke-ced9fd3699b.
Schelling, F. W. J. 2017. 'Lectures on the Method of Academic Study', in Louis Menand, Paul Reitter, and Chad Wellmon (editors). The Rise of the Research University: A Sourcebook. Chicago ; London:
The University of Chicago Press. (recommended)
Suissa, Judith and Sullivan, Alice 2021. The Gender Wars, Academic Freedom and Education, Journal of Philosophy of Education 55(1), https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12549.
Surman, Jan 2018. Universities in Imperial Austria 1848–1918: A social history of a multilingual space. Purdue University Press. (recommended)
Trotsky, Leon 1918. ‘In British Captivity’, II:4,
https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1917/xx/captivity.htm.
von Oertzen, Christine, Maria Rentetzi, Maria and Watkins Siegel, Elizabeth 2013. Beyond the Academy: Histories of Gender and Knowledge. New York: Wiley. (recommended)
Ziemer, Ulrike 2018. Opportunities for Self-Realisation?: Young Women’s Experiences of Higher Education in Russia, in Melanie Ilic (editor). The Palgrave Handbook of Women and Gender in Twentieth-Century, Russia and the Soviet Union, https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54905-1_31.
(recommended)
Readings on methods and spatial history
Guldi, Jo, 2010. ‘What is the Spatial Turn?’, University of Virginia Library Scholar’s Lab, http://spatial.scholarslab.org/spatial-turn/what-is-the-spatial-turn/.
Nora, Pierre 1996. Realms of Memory: Rethinking the French Past, transl. Lawrence Kritzman. New York: Columbia University Press.
Reinwald, Brigitte 2009. ‘Recycling the Empire’s Unknown Soldier: Contested Memories of French West African Colonial Combatants’ War Experience’, in Indra Sengupta (editor).
Memory, History, and Colonialism Engaging with Pierre Nora in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts. London: German Historical Institute, 37-73.
Rollason, David 2016. The Power of Place: Rulers and their Palaces, Landscapes, Cities and Holy Places. Princeton University Press.
Stock, Paul 2015. The Uses of Space in Early Modern History. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1-18.
10 Withers, Charles 2007. Placing the Enlightenment: Thinking Geographically about the Age of
Reason. University of Chicago Press.
