It is challenging to define who Michel Foucault was, whether he was a theorist, a philosopher, a historian, or a critic. In many of his books, and essays, Foucault denied being a philosopher or a theorist, nor did he want to be called a writer or a prophet. He described himself as an experimenter by saying that his work simply consists of…

This commentary explains and expands upon Wenger's concept of communities of practice. Knowledge construction to improve common practice within a community committed to learning is critical. Vertical and horizontal communication, interactions within and between boundaries of organizations are necessary for creating learning organizations. One…

This article argues that new sites of knowledge production, increasingly cultivated by the mass media, are threatening the role of academics and universities as traditional sources of expertise. Drawing upon the conceptual categories of Pierre Bourdieu, the article suggests an alternative way of understanding this "crisis of legitimacy."

This article identifies the limitations of contemporary organizational theory on the internationalization of higher education in guiding and supporting internationalization activities at the level of the academic Self. A way forward is provided through Cranton's notion of authenticity in teaching in higher education, which presents a platform for…

The practice of student evaluation of college faculty is discussed in terms of the literature on social ritual. The following arguments that critics have raised are considered: student ratings of professors are neither scientific nor objective; feedback needed by professors to improve the quality of their work and data needed by administrators to…

The influence of the academic culture that academics learn from mentors and senior colleagues is considered, with attention to the socialization process, social learning theory, and the psychology of awareness. The nature of deliberation and decision-making in a typical college or university and the issue of whether the university operates on a…

Argues that the typical full-time community college instructor holds a "modern" world view whereas the typical traditional-age community college student holds a "postmodern" one. Discusses the implications of these differences in the classroom and suggests that classroom experience may be enhanced if teachers better understand students. (DMM)

A model of academic faculty/health professional collaboration includes assessment/goal setting, determining collaborative fit, resource identification, refinement/implementation, and evaluation. It is based on concepts of social exchange, negotiation, role differentiation, and trust. (SK)

Presents an analysis of faculty dynamics in nursing curriculum situations based on the social theories of conflict, community power, and interest-group to form a political model representing stages in policy development. These stages are applied to curriculum change examples to show how social conflict and power plays cause problems. (MF)

The view of education as a liberating, enlightening, individuating process and educational approaches to support this goal are examined. According to Ivan Illich (1970), the social relations within the educational encounter have corresponded closely to the social relations of dominance, subordination, and motivation in the economic sphere. He…