History 156 - The Power of Universities

A critical introduction to the history and political economy of the American university, with an emphasis on how the institution has produced and reproduced structural inequality despite its purported democratizing mission. (Gen. Ed. HS, DU)

EXTENDED COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course offers a critical introduction to the history and political economy of the American university, with an emphasis on how the institution has produced and reproduced structural inequality despite its purported democratizing mission. In particular, we will scrutinize the historical development of the ideology that universities are sites of democracy and vital to a flourishing democratic society in relation to the historical role of American universities in producing forms of racial, gender, and socioeconomic power. Students in the course will explore the history of the American university with particular reference to its contemporary crisis through a series of thematic units focused on the origins of several components of higher ed inequality.

The following questions motivate and structure the semester?s inquiry:
- Who holds power in the contemporary American university? How did they get it? Whose interests do they serve?
- How did the cost of college come to be so expensive, and how and why did the burden of paying for it shift from government and institutions to students?
- How did settler colonialism and the dispossession of the land of First Peoples shape the making of American higher education?
- What was the relationship between the making of the American university and American slavery, and what legacies has this relationship left in the present?
- How have the labor and employment practices of American universities changed over time such that the majority of university teachers today are contingent rather than tenure-line?
- How did universities come to privilege STEM fields over the humanities as sites of institutional investment?

Following a unit that gives a brief introductory overview, the course is divided into six units, each addressing one of the course?s motivating questions. Students will read both complex primary sources and key historiographical interventions, practicing the skills of interpreting evidence in both oral and written contexts in both class discussions and through essay assignments. Other assignments will include a midterm exam, a final exam, and evaluation of active participation during discussion meetings.

THE FEINBERG SERIES
In Fall of 2024, this course is being offered in conjunction with the History Department's 2024-2025 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series, which will be exploring the theme "What Are Universities For?". Students in this course will attend a number of series events, which will feature leading scholars, organizers, and educators in conversation about the historic role, forms, and impacts of the American university.