International Higher Education, March 1997
New Publications
The Case for Tenure, edited by Matthew W. Finkin. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1996. 211 pp. ISBN 0-8014-3316-9. Address: Cornell University Press, 512 State St., Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. $29.95
Once again, tenure has become a topic of considerable debate and controversy in the United States. It seems that every couple of decades, criticisms are raised concerning the tenure system. The current attacks coincide with the fiscal problems facing many colleges and universities. This book makes the case for tenure, and focuses largely on the surrounding legal issues. The authors include many of the key thinkers on tenure and academic freedom. (PGA)
Open Doors, 1995/96: Report on International Educational Exchange, edited by Todd M. Davis. N.Y.: Institute of International Education, 1996. 168 pp. $39.95 (paperback) ISBN 087206-235-X. Address: IIE, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017, USA.
This annual publication is the most comprehensive survey of trends in international education. It focuses mainly on the United States, but there is also data on flows of students to and from other countries. Comprehensive statistics on foreign student numbers studying in the United States, trends and patterns, detailed information on host American universities, and many other topics are covered in this volume. A very useful section on "understanding the international student" which features attitudes and values of international students in the United States is included. Brief analyses of the data included is provided as well. This is the most important single resource for understanding trends in international students and international education in the United States. (PGA)
Teaching Well and Liking It: Motivating Faculty to Teach Effectively, edited by James L. Bess. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. 455 pp. ISBN 0-8018-5364-8. $39.95. Address: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
James L. Bess has edited a thoughtful collection of research-based studies that focus on teaching. The overall theme is on motivation for teaching and the issues that relate to it. Among the topics considered are assessment and evaluation, the impact of faculty backgrounds on teaching motivation, organizational cultures and their impact on teaching, and leadership and motivation. While all of the examples are from the United States, this book has wider relevance precisely because of its overall stress on motivation issues. (PGA)
Transforming Higher Education: Views from Leaders around the World, edited by Madeleine F. Green. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1997. 328 pp. $39.95. ISBN 0-89774-891-3. Address: Oryx Press, 4041 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012, USA
Most of the world's regions are discussed in this informative volume. Essays dealing with East Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Western Europe are included, along with country studies of China, the United States, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, and several others. The authors include experts on the academic systems about which they write. The focus of the book is on change and the challenges facing universities worldwide. This volume is part of a series sponsored by the American Council on Education and published by Oryx Press. Further information on the series is available from the publisher. (PGA)
The Cold War and the University: Toward an Intellectual History, edited by Noam Chomsky, et al. N.Y.: New Press, 1997. 258 pp. $25. ISBN 1-56584-005-4. Distributed by W. W. Norton, 500 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010, USA.
The American research university grew to its present stature in the period following World War II. This book focuses on the implications of the relationship between the U.S. government and higher education during this formative period. During the war and in the years following it, American universities were harnessed for military and intelligence purposes. In addition, the McCarthy period of repression of Communists in the 1950s had significant implications for higher education. The Cold War and the University considers these topics from a critical perspective. Among the specific topics considered are the Cold War and the shaping of American history, the implications of the period on area studies, earth science research during the Cold War era, and others. The authors, including David Montgomery, Noam Chomsky, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Laura Nader, are among the most prominent leftist intellectuals in the American academy. (PGA)
The Mockers and the Mocked: Comparative Perspectives on Differentiation, Convergence and Diversity in Higher Education, edited by V. Lynn Meek, Leo Goedegebuure, Osmo Kivinen, and Risto Rinne. Oxford, England: Elsevier Science, 1996. 239 pp. $85.00. ISBN 0-080425-63-1. Address: Elsevier Science, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK.
Despite the confusing title of this book, it is a thoughtful discussion of diversity and differentiation in the higher education systems of seven important industrialized countries. In addition to case studies of Australia, Canada, the United States, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, there are four excellent comparative essays by Burton R. Clark, Guy Neave, Frans van Vught, and by the volume's editors. This volume is an excellent model for the comparative study of higher education in that it includes several comparative analyses and a wealth of case study data that use the perspectives developed in the comparative chapters. This book is part of an ongoing series of volumes on higher education published by Elsevier Science in cooperation with the International Association of Universities. (PGA)
Concepts and Choices for Teaching: Meeting the Challenges in Higher Education, by William M. Timpson and Paul Bendel-Simso. Madison, Wisc.: Magna Publications, 1996. 164 pp. $24.95 paperback. ISBN 0-912150-40-8.
The authors present a collection of well-articulated concepts of teaching and learning, alongside the choices - some riskier than others - that academics must make in order to achieve a high level of teaching proficiency. Unfortunately, as one reads through the chapters, a key omission becomes apparent - there is no discussion of effective usage of teaching tools, be it chalkboard, overheads, multimedia, or the Internet. The range of utilities available to the teacher is expanding rapidly, but this is a double-edged sword. Those academics who are confident in their abilities to learn, to adapt, and to utilize new technologies do so at some risk of undermining the effectiveness of their classroom instruction. Those who are just now entering the field, or are technologically timid, desperately need help to deal with the daunting challenge of using educational technology effectively. In both cases, research-based training is needed, and a chapter or two in this book would certainly have been well received. However, the book is otherwise reasonably comprehensive, and should be a welcome addition to graduate preparatory courses for teaching, as well as a useful guide for both new and seasoned academics. (James Forest, Boston College)