One of the specificities of French higher education is that there is no single higher education system but two compartmentalised and hierarchical higher education systems comprising (1) universities and (2) "grande école" higher education institutions. Competing for a place in the latter requires that students have succeeded in…

Today, the term 'global' has become a pervasive description of universities that aim to alleviate their importance and reach. The global looks inherently big. By relating to a spherical shape it attributes size in two distinct ways: it signifies the comprehensive and extensive reach of a theme or issue as well as the spherical centrality of an…

In the construction of "Double First-class" universities, how to establish an evaluation system of universities' scientific and technological innovation capacity with Chinese characteristics and international standards will determine the direction and level of improvement of Chinese university?s technological innovation capacity. The…

"Résonances" was the first university radio web in France. It was founded at the University of Limoges, in 2010. This article is about the origin and decline of this transmedia project. Two strategies are here unfolded: historical the first one, ranging from the conception of the idea, the vicissitudes experienced by the team for…

This is a conceptual paper that examines the origin and development of universities and their current role in global society. There has been an unprecedented and exponential growth of technology and artificial intelligence capabilities over the past ten years which is challenging current working practices and affecting all areas of society. The…

This paper retraces the evolution of the relationships between higher education institutions, the state and the academic profession in France since the French Revolution on the one hand and the parallel evolution of the societal expectations for their roles and missions, on the other. It in particular highlights the divide between the universities…

Before the 2000s and the buzz surrounding global rankings, many countries witnessed the emergence and development, starting in the 1970s, of academic media rankings produced primarily by press organisations. This domestic, media-based production, despite the relative lack of attention paid by the social sciences, has been progressively integrated…

This paper reviews the development of international student mobility in the twentieth century as exemplified by Britain, France, Russia or the Soviet Union, and the United States. It summarises data on international student numbers and describes the development of policy at an institutional and national level in these four countries. Conclusions…

The results of a 3-year fieldwork study within France's National Centre for Distance Education are presented, specifically detailing the impacts on higher education middle management overseeing curricula design for a series of French 3-year degree programs undergoing revision in how students are financially charged for the programs. Following the…

Not only in education, but also in other social practices, the history of "internationalisation" is correlative to the history of "nationalisation". In this broad sense, this article outlines four main constellations of the links between education and nationalisation/internationalisation dynamics. After a brief description of…

This paper contributes to the discussion about the marketisation of universities by providing a historical perspective. Going back to the time when the market for academic knowledge emerged, I argue that it was created through incorporating a number of inherent tensions that have been, and still are, shaping its development. I show how these…

Although much overlooked by both sociologists and educators, Emile Durkheim's "The Evolution of Educational Thought" ("EET"; lectures from 1904-1905) not only provides extended insight into the developmental flows and disjunctures of Western education and scholarship from the classical Greek era to Durkheim's own time but also…

This document contains volume 4 of the "American Journal of Education" "National Series." This compilation of issues 9-12 of volume 4 provides details on the state of public instruction in over 20 countries and areas in 1870. Among the areas covered are: Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, France, Prussia, Belgium, Denmark, Russia,…

Published as a stimulus to further studies in comparative education and comparative adult education, this book is an English edition of most of the papers presented in June 1978, at an international seminar held in West Berlin on "The Universities and Adult Education: Trends and Perspectives in Europe." The introduction, by Wolfgang…

Discusses the use of higher education for social defense, moral improvement, and working-class acculturation in 19th-century France. (RM)