Abstract
This article explores the theoretical foundations of social cohesion as it relates to higher education institutions. In so doing it seeks (a) to understand the core elements of social cohesion—social capital, human capital and ethical behavioural norms that serve a common good—and (b) to establish a flexible framework for understanding the combined contributions of higher education to society. Tertiary institutional phenomena (those occurring in higher education) that are involved in the creation of social cohesion are hereafter termed academic social cohesion. The particular emphasis is on higher education’s role in cultivating moral awareness as a vital product of institutions’ primary activities. These core functions of colleges and universities are discussed in relation to both academic social cohesion and the degree to which they should involve the creation of specific ethical norms.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Astin, A. W., Sax, L. J., & Avalos, J. (1999). Long-term effects of volunteerism during the undergraduate years. The Review of Higher Education, 22(2), 187–202.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.
Braxton, J. M. (2000). Reinvigorating theory and research on the departure puzzle. In J. M. Braxton (Ed.), Reworking the student departure puzzle. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital and the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 94, Issue Supplement: Organizations and institutions: Sociological and economic approaches to the analysis of social structure.
Dey, E. L., & Hurtado, S. (1999). Students, colleges, and society: Considering the interconnections. In P. G. Altbach, R. O. Berdhal, & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Eckstein, M. A. (2003). Combating academic fraud: Towards a culture of integrity. International Institute for Academic Planning. Paris: UNESCO.
Ghosh, A. K., Whipple, T. W., & Bryan, G. A. (2001). Student trust and its antecedents in higher education. The Journal of Higher Education, 72(3), 322–340.
Hallak, J., & Poisson, M. (2002). Ethics and corruption in education. Paris: UNESCO IIEP.
Hallak, J., & Poisson, M. (2007). Corrupt schools, corrupt universities: What can be done? Paris: UNESCO IIEP.
Heuser, B. L. (2005). The ethics of social cohesion. Peabody Journal of Education, 80(4), 8–15.
Heuser, B. L. (2008). Higher education, social cohesion & society. Dissertation (in press).
Heyneman, S. P. (2003). Education and social cohesion. In J. Guthrie (Ed.), Encyclopedia of education (Vol. 6, pp. 2242–2250). New York: Macmillan Publishers.
Heyneman, S. P. (2005). Organizations and social cohesion. Peabody Journal of Education, 80(4), 1–8.
Johnson, M. (1993). Moral imagination: Implications for cognitive science for ethics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kallaway, P. (Ed.). (2002). The history of education under apartheid, 1948–1994: The doors of learning and culture shall be opened (History of schools and schooling, Vol. 28). Peter Lang Publishing.
Lewis, H. R. (2007). Excellence without a soul: How a great university forgot education. Public Affairs.
McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1997). Individual and contextual influences on academic dishonesty: A multicampus investigation. Research in Higher Education, 38(3), 379–396.
Pascarella, E. T. (1980). Student–faculty informal contact and college outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 50(4), 545–595.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Scott, J. C. (2006). The mission of the university: Medieval to postmodern transformations. Journal of Higher Education, 77(1), 1–39.
Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. Journal of Higher Education, 68(6), 599–623.
World Bank Group (2002). Constructing knowledge societies: New challenges for tertiary education. Directions in Development, Washington, DC, ISBN 0-8213-5143-5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Heuser, B.L. Academic social cohesion within higher education. Prospects 37, 293–303 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-008-9036-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-008-9036-3