| Portion of title |
Creating the modern university from Germany to America to China |
| Contents |
Introduction: The "world-class" university -- The university in Germany: a historical introduction -- The modern original: the University of Berlin -- Truth, justice, and freedom in a Cold War world: the Free University of Berlin -- The rise and challenges of American research universities -- Rising through change and through storm: Harvard University -- Public mission, private funding: the University of California, Berkeley -- Outrageous ambitions: Duke University -- A Chinese century? The revival and rise of Chinese universities -- From preparatory academy to national flagship: Tsinghua University -- The burden of history: Nanjing university -- Asia's global university? The University of Hong Kong -- Conclusion: Lessons and prospects. |
| Abstract |
"The modern university was born in Germany. In the twentieth century, the United States leapfrogged Germany to become the global leader in higher education. Will China challenge its position in the twenty-first? Today American institutions dominate nearly every major ranking of global universities. Yet in historical terms, America's preeminence is relatively new, and there is no reason to assume that U.S. schools will continue to lead the world a century from now. Indeed, America's supremacy in higher education is under great stress, particularly at its public universities. At the same time Chinese universities are on the ascent. Thirty years ago, Chinese institutions were reopening after the catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution; today they are some of the most innovative educational centers in the world. Will China threaten American primacy? Empires of Ideas looks to the past two hundred years for answers, chronicling two revolutions in higher education: the birth of the research university and its integration with the liberal education model. William C. Kirby examines the successes of leading universities--The University of Berlin and the Free University of Berlin in Germany; Harvard, Duke, and the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States--to determine how they rose to prominence and what threats they currently face. Kirby draws illuminating comparisons to the trajectories of three Chinese contenders: Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, and the University of Hong Kong, which aim to be world-class institutions that can compete with the best the United States and Europe have to offer."-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Biographical note | William C. Kirby is Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration and T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University, as well as Chair of the Harvard China Fund and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Center Shanghai. |
| Source of description | Print version record. |
| Issued in other form | Print version: Kirby, William C. Empires of ideas. Cambridge, Massachusetts : The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2022 9780674737716 |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| Genre/form | History. |
| ISBN | 9780674275652 EPUB |
| ISBN | 0674275659 EPUB |
| ISBN | 9780674275645 PDF |
| ISBN | 0674275640 PDF |
| ISBN | hardcover |
| ISBN | hardcover |
| Stock number | 22573/ctv2kx90c8 JSTOR |
