Education and Social Cohesion: Higher Education

Overview & Synopsis

Social cohesion is understood as the social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from connections among individuals. When students attend higher education institutions, they go through a process of socialization, and it is vital to ensure that they acquire the core values that underpin the social cohesion. This article presents a preliminary understanding of how higher education institutions can influence social cohesion through curriculum content and the culture of their institutions, through fairness to students and faculty, and through procedures available for effective adjudication to members of the school community in order to achieve a consensus over what and how to teach. This article also presents a view on the role of higher education institutions in promoting social cohesion in local communities.