Values in Higher Education. "Bildungsideale" in Historical and Contemporary Perspective.

Overview & Synopsis

This report presents essays from a symposium held in the Netherlands in 1986 whose purpose was to study the theme: values in higher education. The symposium addressed the issue of cultural continuity and the importance of awareness of how higher education is developing and cultural values are maintained. Among the symposium's presentations are the following: (1) an analysis of the implications of the "Bildung" concept (the educational process that creates a "value-saturated" personality) in the German Tradition and its change of meaning between the 1800s and the 1900s; (2) a discussion of two historical concepts in education, vocational (competence based) and general (Allgemeine Bildung); (3) a discussion of the conflicts, tactics, and strategies which are used in a curriculum debate about general and vocational education pertaining to cultural values; (4) an examination of the functions, structures, and dilemmas of higher education when growing into a mass education system, including some examples of different options and solutions in a cross-cultural comparison; (5) a discussion of pluralism in society and education; and (6) a discussion of the impact of new technologies on educational goals, educational practices, and their availability. Contains 12 references. (GLR)