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The Path to Equity

Inclusion in the Kingdom of Liberal Arts

Bill Coplin

Coplin has been saving students from the damage done by the bait and switch business model of the liberal arts programs for fifty years. The bait promises career preparation and the switch is to teach undergraduates how to be scholars. He demonstrates how the Kingdom of Liberals Arts programs are based on an elitist attitude that is harmful to most undergraduates who value career preparation over love of learning. This elitism leads to increased anxiety for college students and a college completion rate lower than the worst high schools in the U.S. He shows how the elitism does not serve equity and inclusion but does the opposite. He demonstrates that the harm is not just confined to undergraduate education but to many socio-economic conditions in American society. The Kingdom has contributed to a K-12 education system that sends too many students to college and prevents the resources needed for careers without a college education. It shares some of the blame for the lack of skill and semi-skilled labor in this country. Coplin ends on a positive note by showing that some progress in transforming the Kingdom to an institution that serves its undergraduates has occurred but much more needs to be done. He suggests three most important structural changes need to quicken the pace of change and contribute to, rather than prevent, equity and inclusion.

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  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 160 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-4758-7132-6 • Hardback • August 2023 • $75.00 • (£58.00)
978-1-4758-7133-3 • Paperback • July 2023 • $25.00 • (£18.99)
978-1-4758-7134-0 • eBook • July 2023 • $23.50 • (£17.99)
Subjects: Education / Higher, Education / Student Life & Student Affairs, Education / Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects

Bill Coplin is founder and professor of the highly successful undergraduate Policy Studies Major at Syracuse University which is meets the goals of an undergraduate professional program while maintaining the integrity of a degree in the in liberal arts. He is the J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence at the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. An author of 110 books and articles, many of which are in education, has taught and advised tens of thousands of undergraduates over his 50+ years of teaching.

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Part One: Bait and Switch

Chapter 1: Knowledge Over Know-How

Chapter 2: Flawed Evidence

Chapter 3: The Bait Machine

Part Two: Elitism Revealed

Chapter 4: Ben Franklin is a Petite Bourgeoisie

Chapter 5: Dale Carnegie is Not College Material

Chapter 6: The Student Prince Warning

Chapter 7: The Hereditary Kingdom

Chapter 8: What’s in a Name

Chapter 9: The Liberal Arts Religion

Chapter 10: “Dumbing Down” is Dumb

Part Three: Undergraduate Victims

Chapter 11: Commoners Vote with their Feet

Chapter 12: The Anxiety Machine

Chapter 13: Career Services Challenges

Chapter 14: Experience Credit Ambivalence

Part Four: Societal Damage.

Chapter 15: K-12 Toxicity

Chapter 16: Unskilled Citizens

Chapter 17: Too Many Thinkers and Not Enough Doers

Chapter 18: Equity Denied

Part Five: Foundational Changes for Equity and Inclusion

Chapter 19: Change PhD Education

Chapter 20: Reform Lower Division Coursework

Chapter 21: Treat Undergraduates as the Citizens

Having worked in higher education for over two decades, I’ve met hundreds of students and parents who doubt the value of their college investment and fear for their future financial security. Coplin’s book calls on colleges to implement changes that embed career exploration, internships, experiential learning, real-world work experience, and workplace “know-how” at the forefront of college learning. These are the learning experiences that will land students in post-graduation jobs, reduce their debt, and improve their faith in the value of a college education. Addressing challenges such as student mental health and our nation’s “college for all mentality,” Coplin proposes alternatives that focus as much on career skills, as academic achievements, eliminating the myth that colleges must focus on either-or to serve their students.


— Heather Robertson, Ph. D, Liscensed Mental Health Counselor, College Parent, former Career Services Director


The Path to Equity

Inclusion in the Kingdom of Liberal Arts

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • Coplin has been saving students from the damage done by the bait and switch business model of the liberal arts programs for fifty years. The bait promises career preparation and the switch is to teach undergraduates how to be scholars. He demonstrates how the Kingdom of Liberals Arts programs are based on an elitist attitude that is harmful to most undergraduates who value career preparation over love of learning. This elitism leads to increased anxiety for college students and a college completion rate lower than the worst high schools in the U.S. He shows how the elitism does not serve equity and inclusion but does the opposite. He demonstrates that the harm is not just confined to undergraduate education but to many socio-economic conditions in American society. The Kingdom has contributed to a K-12 education system that sends too many students to college and prevents the resources needed for careers without a college education. It shares some of the blame for the lack of skill and semi-skilled labor in this country. Coplin ends on a positive note by showing that some progress in transforming the Kingdom to an institution that serves its undergraduates has occurred but much more needs to be done. He suggests three most important structural changes need to quicken the pace of change and contribute to, rather than prevent, equity and inclusion.

Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
    Pages: 160 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
    978-1-4758-7132-6 • Hardback • August 2023 • $75.00 • (£58.00)
    978-1-4758-7133-3 • Paperback • July 2023 • $25.00 • (£18.99)
    978-1-4758-7134-0 • eBook • July 2023 • $23.50 • (£17.99)
    Subjects: Education / Higher, Education / Student Life & Student Affairs, Education / Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects
Author
Author
  • Bill Coplin is founder and professor of the highly successful undergraduate Policy Studies Major at Syracuse University which is meets the goals of an undergraduate professional program while maintaining the integrity of a degree in the in liberal arts. He is the J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence at the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. An author of 110 books and articles, many of which are in education, has taught and advised tens of thousands of undergraduates over his 50+ years of teaching.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Dedication

    Acknowledgement

    Introduction

    Part One: Bait and Switch

    Chapter 1: Knowledge Over Know-How

    Chapter 2: Flawed Evidence

    Chapter 3: The Bait Machine

    Part Two: Elitism Revealed

    Chapter 4: Ben Franklin is a Petite Bourgeoisie

    Chapter 5: Dale Carnegie is Not College Material

    Chapter 6: The Student Prince Warning

    Chapter 7: The Hereditary Kingdom

    Chapter 8: What’s in a Name

    Chapter 9: The Liberal Arts Religion

    Chapter 10: “Dumbing Down” is Dumb

    Part Three: Undergraduate Victims

    Chapter 11: Commoners Vote with their Feet

    Chapter 12: The Anxiety Machine

    Chapter 13: Career Services Challenges

    Chapter 14: Experience Credit Ambivalence

    Part Four: Societal Damage.

    Chapter 15: K-12 Toxicity

    Chapter 16: Unskilled Citizens

    Chapter 17: Too Many Thinkers and Not Enough Doers

    Chapter 18: Equity Denied

    Part Five: Foundational Changes for Equity and Inclusion

    Chapter 19: Change PhD Education

    Chapter 20: Reform Lower Division Coursework

    Chapter 21: Treat Undergraduates as the Citizens

Reviews
Reviews
  • Having worked in higher education for over two decades, I’ve met hundreds of students and parents who doubt the value of their college investment and fear for their future financial security. Coplin’s book calls on colleges to implement changes that embed career exploration, internships, experiential learning, real-world work experience, and workplace “know-how” at the forefront of college learning. These are the learning experiences that will land students in post-graduation jobs, reduce their debt, and improve their faith in the value of a college education. Addressing challenges such as student mental health and our nation’s “college for all mentality,” Coplin proposes alternatives that focus as much on career skills, as academic achievements, eliminating the myth that colleges must focus on either-or to serve their students.


    — Heather Robertson, Ph. D, Liscensed Mental Health Counselor, College Parent, former Career Services Director


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