The transformation of university

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Sosyoloji Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2013

Öğrenci: SERCAN KIYAK

Danışman: ERDOĞAN YILDIRIM

Özet:

The mission and function of university is now a highly debated issue. It will be argued in this thesis that this debate is a result of the demise of the alliance between state and university. This modern alliance was mainly conceived to be based on a notion of culture that would give meaning to the social bound of the national community. However it was weakened after 1970’s with the emergence of global market and the consequent decline of the political power of the state. Due to these developments contemporary universities operate based on transnational, entrepreneurial and managerial principles, just like corporations. However, as universities no longer define themselves directly in relation to a certain political will but to universal power of global economy, the essential idea of university dissolves and becomes replaced by a discourse of excellence, which is mostly derived from the economic language. This rhetorical device does not mean anything by itself but functions as a tool to generate a general consent for administration of universities mainly as corporations in higher education and technological innovation sectors. Bologna Process is a key policy reform that will affect the future of university on an international basis. In this thesis, the implications of the reforms of Bologna Process will be analyzed in relation to University of Excellence and it will be argued that the process will further enforce integration of universities into all-encompassing global market.