- What data did you collect?
This week, I learned about the Emerging Global Market (EGM) from the article Higher Education and the Neoliberal Threat, which argues that “the quest for market survival, except for within the very richest of institutions, mostly private, can ‘pit international research prestige against mass education demands’”(Bullough 14). Essentially, it provides examples and shows how private universities, in an increasingly competitive global market, responds by becoming more competitive. These goals then supercede the push for mass educational demands and reforms because it focuses on becoming the best rather than increasing accessibility. Furthermore, Mohrman argues that the “EGM fosters winners and losers”. How have the data you have collected this week changed/progressed your thinking about your research project?In relating to Bowdoin, I could not see a more similar situation for recent years. Though Bowdoin has been progressive and increasingly accessible through its financial aid policies, it has also become increasingly competitive throughout the years. This is a response to this neoliberal threat, which prioritizes winning the competition over the common good. My year, the acceptance rate was 14.3%–it has dropped then to 8.9%. Do lower acceptance rates mean a better school? It definitely correlates to a more competitive school to get into, and if that is the case, then is a more competitive school a better school? To me, this runs against the ethos of Bowdoin’s education, which reiterates that Bowdoin is “not a competitive, but highly collaborative space”. How, then, can Bowdoin collaborate with its peers here in the U.S. to better serve its students, such as first-gen students of color?
How have the data you have collected this week changed/progressed your thinking about your research project?
Despite this article not relating directly to my research (as I am focused on Bowdoin and to a lesser degree, the U.S.), it does provide a solid argument and theoretical underpinning regarding the harms of competition, which is rare to find. Neoliberalism promotes competition, especially in relation to money, and sometimes, in regards to a public good and social change, it can be harmful thing. This article helped me articulate why competition can be harmful in the sense that it leaves people behind. And if Bowdoin really subscribes to the Common Good, is it worth it leaving students behind?
What challenges did you encounter while collecting the data?
I had trouble finding data that spoke directly about schools becoming more competitive in response to neoliberalism, and how that it could be harmful to its students. This article was the closest I could find in regards to the argument I was trying to make, and it broadened it to the global market. I wanted to focus more on the U.S. market, but it still provided good theoretical underpinnings for my argument.
My next steps are to move away from the philosophy of the school and look at the concrete examples of how Bowdoin subscribes to neoliberal practices. Now, I will look at West Trek, the Alumni Panel Session on the Liberal Arts Education, and newspaper clippings and articles regarding the liberal arts education.
What are your next steps?
My next steps are to find examples I can use in my case study for this visual podcast.
2-3 Annotations
- Bullough, Robert V. (2014) Higher Education and the Neoliberal Threat: Place, Fast Time, and Identity Brigham Young University
Mohrman,K.,Ma,Wanhua,& Baker,D. (2008).The Research University In Transition: The emerging global model. Higher Education Policy, 21, 5-27.
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