Overview
All universities have to produce plans to eliminate the gaps in access, success and participation of disadvantaged student in higher education, setting targets with regards to Global Majority, working class, disabled and student with mental health conditions. In this book, Mike Seal examines the terminology, theoretical debates and positions, identifies the causes of gaps, and evaluates proposed initiatives. He argues that there is an unexamined assumption that higher education is a ‘good thing’ materially and intellectually, which demonises those for whom this is questionable. The book also highlights the continuing structural and individual discrimination in terms of class, race and disability and a denial of the extent to which higher education is a cause of mental health issues and negative well-being. It uncovers unexamined ‘assimilation’ models in higher education that expects these students to abandon their culture and communities, despite students wanting to give back to these communities being a major extrinsic motivation, and to embrace a culture that will not embrace them. The book starts from the perspective that contemporary international higher education reproduces existing privileges, and the book goes on to argue that widening participation agendas should recognise the changing nature of academic life through a more inclusive, holistic approach. Seal argues that it is essential to include an informed understanding of how students position themselves in academia and how their identity and academic status is enabled and developed with the support of the university. In order to do this universities need to redefine their purpose and the nature of their relationships with the communities they purport to serve.
Full Product Details
Author: Mike Seal (St Mary’s University Twickenham, UK)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 9781350247383
ISBN 10: 1350247383
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 16 June 2022
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Mike is an educator who wants us to understand and confront the issues which increase inequality for many students. This book helped me think more deeply about class, race and mental health which disadvantage many students. The accessible style and language made it a pleasure to read. Readers also have the added bonus of being able to apply some good practical solutions to their own academic practice * Susan Smith, Professor and Associate Director, Centre for Learning and Teaching, Leeds Beckett University, UK *
Author Information
Mike Seal is the National Officer of the Professional Association of Lecturers in Youth and Community Work, a Visiting Professor at Newman University Birmingham, UK, and Leeds Beckett University, UK, and a freelance educational consultant.
