The Civic University Symposium

YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO 

The Civic University Symposium: Reimagining the University for Public Purpose 

 The inaugural event of the Critical Higher Education Studies (CHES) research group, supported by CELT and the School of Political Science and Sociology Public and Civic Engagement Programme,  with keynote speech from Prof Vanessa Andreotti and contributions from Prof Ronaldo Munck and Dr Karen Pashby.

Date: Saturday 2nd December
Time: 10am-4pm
Venue: MY243 Lecture Theatre, Aras Moyola, NUI Galway

All welcome but places are limited.
To RSVP and for more information please see
https://civic_university_symposium.eventbrite.ie

What is the purpose of higher education? Is higher education a public good – and if so, how do we understand the claim that this requires a private cost, and therefore a private gain? Is the knowledge produced by higher education a public good – and if so, how do we understand this in relation to the tendency to lock this knowledge behind paywalls demanded by private publishing companies, and the exclusion of the Global South? Does higher education contribute to building a democratic citizenry – and if so, how does this relate to the increase in performative demands on teaching and research? What are the ethical responsibilities of higher education in the Global North in relation to the majority of the world?

This symposium marks the first public event organised by the Critical Higher Education Studies (CHES) research group, and aims to initiate a generative conversation about the transformations of higher education, and its role in creative re-imaginations of the university, its spaces, mission, activities and purposes, with equality, inclusion and rights as fundamental commitments.

Speakers

Prof Vanessa Andreotti is a professor at the Department for Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia and holds a Canada Research Chair in Race, Inequalities and Global Change.  She was a post-doctoral fellow at NUI Galway from 2006 to 2008. Her research traces systemic and historical patterns of reproduction of global inequalities and examines how these patterns relate to political and affective economies of knowledge production.  She has extensive experience working with governments, NGOs, professional associations and local communities in areas of education related to global justice, community engagement, internationalization and indigenous knowledge systems. Many of her publications are available at: https://ubc.academia.edu/VanessadeOliveiraAndreotti.

Prof Ronaldo Munck is Head of Civic Engagement at DCU and a Visiting Professor of International Development at the University of Liverpool and St. Mary’s University, Nova Scotia. He has authored or edited more than 30 books on various topics related to globalisation, international development and social movements as well as over 100 academic journal articles.  He is the founding chair of the Development Studies Association of Ireland and of Campus Engage, the national platform for civic engagement in Ireland. He serves on the editorial boards of a number of international journals and has led a range of research consortiums around social engagement/innovation themes. For further details see: http://www.dcu.ie/community/people/ronaldo-munck.shtml 

Dr Karen Pashby is Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the Department of Childhood, Youth and Education Studies and the Education and Social Research Institute. Drawing on her experience as a secondary school teacher and teacher educator, her research considers the critical intersections of multicultural and global education, internationalisation of curricula and pedagogy, and the complexities of including youth voice in discussions of global citizenship. For more information see: http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/cyes/staff/profile/index.php?id=2637