Issues in Higher Education
This seminar will apply the methods and findings of sociology to selected issues in American higher education. We will begin by covering theoretical approaches, which focus on the relationship between higher education and economic, political, cultural, and demographic structures and processes. We will then examine a number of problems and questions regarding higher education, including those concerning the criteria of admission to higher education (e.g., issues of meritocracy, testing, and Affirmative Action), controversies over "political correctness" and free speech, the nature of the academy as a workplace, and the role of athletics in student culture. (SOAN 0105 or SOAN 0103 or SOAN 0215) 3 hrs. sem.