Higher education’s role in upholding democracy

black woman at laptop with scales and gavel, law studies

International collaboration is a legal education opportunity

Cross-cultural understanding can enrich the ways in which educators in law integrate comparative legal analysis into their teaching, writes Petra Butler

Petra Butler

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Various sqiggly arrows straightening into the same direction, blended learning concept

Teaching public policy research skills to tomorrow’s leaders

When students learn the fundamentals of public policy research, they also acquire tools to evaluate how institutions operate and how those same tools can be used to solve problems in their communities. This blended learning approach can level up these skills

Christopher Kromphardt, Mark Anthoney , Cassidy Branch

Johns Hopkins University, University of Iowa

University student protester

Changing campus protests from disruptions to learning opportunities

Higher education leaders should use student activism to develop leadership and negotiation skills, argue Blair Glaser and Richard Nodell

Blair Glaser, Richard Nodell

Independent consultant

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THE podcast bonus episode: an interview with Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family professor of human rights policy at Harvard Kennedy School

Human rights scholar and award-winning author Kathryn Sikkink talks about her work with the Harvard Votes Challenge, how young people are more savvy about misinformation than older generations and why, in this year of elections, democracy needs protection

Kathryn Sikkink

Harvard University

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THE podcast: how to turn university students into engaged citizens – and voters

Political scientists, in the US and the UK, discuss how universities can support Generation Z to engage with the democratic process, how to foster safe and open political discussion and why voting is like bungee jumping

Elizabeth C. Matto, Michael Bruter

Rutgers University, The London School of Economics and Political Science

Volunteers at a food bank

How to foster a civic mindset in the era of AI

Create spaces that allow small groups of people to see themselves in a broader context, encourage them to dream of what possibilities and opportunities could exist and then help them to take action

Robert Huish

Dalhousie University

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: what to do when the principles of free speech are tested

Daniel Diermeier, chancellor of Vanderbilt University, urges universities to take the path of principled neutrality and civil discourse in the face of polarising events

Daniel Diermeier

Vanderbilt University

open knowledge

How open knowledge strengthens democracies

No longer just guardians of knowledge, public universities are critical to the health of young democracies. To support civil society and democracy, flagship institutions must embrace their role as coordinators of open knowledge exchange

Justin Axel-Berg

University of São Paulo

Advice for higher education institutions to uphold democratic values and practices

A higher education playbook for strengthening democracy: what institutions can do

Five ways universities can engage in supporting democracy in their home nations and throughout the world, presented by William Tierney

William Tierney

University of Southern California

Advice on collaborating with student activists to improve institutional sustainability

Working with student activists to speed up progress towards a sustainable future

Jaime Toney explains how working with grassroots student activists can help accelerate institutional action towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Jaime Toney

University of Glasgow

Universities need to promote pluralism and thinking across the divide in order to strengthen democracy

Universities must promote pluralism to ward off threats to democracy

Once the moral basis of anyone who disagrees with us is rejected, then democracy inevitably implodes, says Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders

University of Sheffield

Advice for how universities can train students in democratic values and practices

How universities can embed democratic principles and practices into the student experience

Higher education is a critical pillar of a functional democracy and there are things that colleges and universities can do today to actively foster democratic practices, as Meg Little Reilly explains

Meg Little Reilly

University of Vermont

Gun with flowers

What can universities do to protect Russian and Ukrainian academics fighting for truth?

Academics’ struggle is a stirring reminder that the freedom of scholars and students to speak, teach and publish is neither inviolable nor dispensable, says Ron Daniels

Ron Daniels

Johns Hopkins University

Propaganda and disinformation are rife on social media and beyond, and in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, universities need to play their part in countering it

Fake news and disinformation abounds, but what can universities do?

Few universities offer courses on countering propaganda, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings this weakness of provision into sharp relief, says Paul Baines

Paul Baines

University of Leicester

Advice on promoting democracy among students in higher education

How universities can promote ‘democratic competences’ among students

A guide to how higher education can help develop a culture of democracy among students, through study programmes, a whole institution approach and community engagement, by Sjur Bergan

Sjur Bergan

Council of Europe

How universities can advance social justice within and beyond their campus walls

Social justice in, through and beyond higher education

Higher education institutions can work individually and together to advance social justice well beyond their campus walls, as Pardis Mahdavi explains

Pardis Mahdavi

Arizona State University

A university leader gives a press conference - standing as a bastion for democracy is key for higher education and its leaders

Four key strategies for higher education leaders to advance democracy

University leaders must use their positions to develop citizens and communities that combat tyranny and facilitate democracy – hard work that is done on and off campus

Jon McNaughtan, Alexander W. Wiseman

Texas Tech University

Managing conflicting perspectives of international students when teaching online

Negotiating the minefield of global online teaching: dealing with difference  

Farish A. Noor offers advice on managing the conflicting viewpoints of students living and studying in different countries and cultural contexts when teaching international groups online

Farish A. Noor  

Nanyang Technological University

Advice on instilling democratic principles into your assessment methods

Democratic assessment: why, what, and how

Divya Bheda shares five ways educators can embody democratic principles through their assessment practices to help students learn civic-minded values and behaviour

Divya Bheda

ExamSoft

Considerations for safely teaching remote students studying in countries with strict press controls

Safely teaching foreign students facing censorship

Foreign students studying online in their home countries may be subject to strict press controls, so educators must carefully consider their course content and discussion points, Pavin Chachavalpongpun explains

Pavin Chachavalpongpun

Kyoto University

Step by step advice on embedding public engagement into university research and teaching

How to embed public engagement into your teaching and research activities

Carenza Lewis shares a step-by-step guide for embedding public engagement into your institution’s research and teaching

Carenza Lewis

University of Lincoln

Advice on bringing international and intercultural dimensions into your curricula

Bringing international and intercultural dimensions into your programmes

Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans and Karen M. Lauridsen address how educators may create an internationalised learning experience for all students by including global and intercultural dimensions in curriculum design and delivery

Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans, Karen M. Lauridsen

Zuyd University, Aarhus University, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Meritocracy in higher education is not fit for purpose with minorities of all stripes finding an unsafe environment

Meritocracy in the academy isn’t fit for purpose – but we can fix it

Institutions need to think about who they’re picking and foster both literacy and competence around minority issues as the first steps to a true meritocracy

rashné limki

The University of Edinburgh

Scientists and academics must practise humility and empathy when communicating with the public over issues such as climate change

We’ve forgotten how to communicate science to the public at a crucial time

As we try to tackle climate change, it feels like the pandemic has pushed us back decades to the bad old mode of scientists lecturing the public, says John Womersley

John Womersley

University of Oxford

Sharing knowledge and becoming 'intellectually dependable' are intertwined and should be placed at the forefront of education

Teaching students to think for themselves is not enough

The critical thinking ideal is too individualistic and self-focused − students must learn to help others think well, too, says T. Ryan Byerly

T. Ryan Byerly

University of Sheffield

The role of the community college should not be underestimated in terms of providing civil discourse and education opportunities

Don’t downplay the role of community colleges in healing a nation

At a time of rampant disinformation, these two-year institutions can be the engines of enquiry and purpose that enable the next generation to rebuild our democracy, says Eduardo Padron

Eduardo Padron

Miami Dade College

Student with a megaphone on a march

Eight ways to teach students about the importance of democracy

Imparting the significance of democracy involves empowering students to acquire relevant knowledge and actively involve themselves in the democratic process

Avinash Dadhich, Anuja S.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: academia and activism

Three academics share their experiences of using their research and teaching for social justice aims

Colette Cann, Eric DeMeulenaere, John McKendrick

University of San Francisco, Clark University, Glasgow Caledonian University