POLS 208 - College?: Higher Education Politics and Policy

3 Credit(s)

Scholars, politicians and the public are questioning the value of a college education. Liberal Arts education is designed to expose students to a broad range of knowledge in order to create well-rounded citizens. However, this traditional model of higher education has come under attack as critics claim students learn very little in college and graduate lacking the skills to enter the workforce. At the same time higher education costs have increased faster than inflation in recent decades, leaving students with increasing amounts of debt. This course examines the contentious issues behind higher education policy and shows how it has become a wedge issue between conservatives and liberals. The course will culminate with an advocacy project on a current issue related to higher education. This course serves as a political science elective and a social science general education elective.