ESW Seminar Series
CIE
Monday 25th March, 5pm
Room 104, Fulton
Speaker
Dr Tristan McCowan, Institute of Education, University of London,
presents:
Alternative Universities in Brazil:
Pushing the boundaries of mainstream higher education
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Higher education systems around the world are undergoing dramatic change,
characterised primarily by marketisation of entry and commodification of
knowledge. In some contexts, resistance to the now dominant entrepreneurial
university has led to the creation of alternative models. A number of
experimental university courses and institutions of this type have been
established in Brazil in recent years. Their aim is to address the injustices of
access to higher education, and also to transform conceptions of knowledge
and engage more strongly with local communities and social movements.
Since 2008, Brazil’s federal government has itself established four
‘alternative’ universities which nevertheless operate within the mainstream
system and are thereby constrained by dominant forms of institutional
structure and accreditation.
In this seminar, Dr McGowan will assess the early experiences of these
institutions, their prospects for success and the implications for universities
elsewhere in the world. The dilemma of whether to innovate, within or outside
the mainstream, is also considered with reference to other radical initiatives
unconstrained by conventional institutional forms – such as Unitierra in
Mexico.
This seminar can be joined remotely by logging on to:
https://connectpro.sussex.ac.uk/cie_mccowan25mar13
This seminar will also be recorded and available to view retrospectively
at:
www.sussex.ac.uk/education/newsandevents/events/seminarscurrent