A century ago, universities were primarily in the business of
molding upper-class young men for the professions. The world has
changed, and universities have been forced to keep pace by
experimenting with affirmative action, curriculum overhauls,
part-time degree programs, and the like. But at the core of the
modern university establishment is an ingrained academic culture
that has operated in the same ways for centuries, contends Robert
Ibarra, and in Beyond Affirmative Action, he calls for a complete
paradigm shift.
Why does academic culture, he asks, emphasize individual
achievement over teamwork? Why do so many exams test discrete bits
of knowledge rather than understanding of the big picture? Why is
tenure awarded for scholarly publications rather than for sharing
knowledge in diverse ways with students and a wider community? Why
do undergraduates drop out? And why do so many bright graduate
students and junior faculty--including many minorities, women, and
some majority males--become disenchanted with academia or fail to
be accepted and rewarded by the tenured faculty?
Ibarra introduces a theory of "multicontextuality," which proposes
that many people learn better when teachers emphasize whole systems
of knowledge and that education can create its greatest successes
by offering and accepting many approaches to teaching and learning.
This revolutionary paradigm also addresses why current thinking
about academic systems and organizational culture, affirmative
action, and diversity must be revised. Ibarra bases his
groundbreaking proposals upon his own synthesis of findings from
anthropological, educational, and psychological studies of how
people from various cultures learn, as well as findings from
extended interviews he conducted with Latinos and Latinas who
pursued graduate degrees and then either became university faculty
or chose other careers. From his perspectives as a practicing
anthropologist, teacher, researcher, and administrator, Ibarra
provides a blueprint for change that will interest:
o Administrators developing campus strategic plans
o Boards, commissions, and agencies making policy for educational
institutions
o Students and faculty struggling to find ways that academia can
serve multiple constituencies
o Academic and career advisors to students
o Researchers in cognitive psychology, sociology, anthropology,
education, and ethnic studies
o Businesses rethinking their organizational cultures and
strategies
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