academic governance and fiction

8/9/2019 Academic Governance and Fiction

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Academic Governanceand Fiction


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Introduction:

Viewing the faculty governance in higher

education through a unique lens- the college

novel. The novel is a useful lense by which

uncover some of the complexities inherent in

faculty decision making and governance.


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The Role of the Novel:ovels may provide unique perspective

about academe by illustrating the relationship

between academe and the general public! and

by contributing a discourse to pursue

additional framework.


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The Role of the Novel:"ow does the general public arrive at an

image of higher education# $ne way is through

reading novels. %iction often reaches a much

larger roles in people&s conceptions of colleges

and universities. "ow accurate is a novel&s

portrayal of reality# ovels provide even a

partial view of reality.


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The DialecticThe use of dialectic in novels is to uncover or more

fully portraying the role of governance in higher

education or mutually dependent exchange of information.The latter definition! in turn! makes an assumption that

the true portrayal of academe lies in the interrelatedness

of these frames! a dialogue between novels and academeis one that us both sensible and revealing. The use of

novels in this manner is the creation of a new lens by

which to conduct a complex analysis.


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Conceptual Framework

was the paradigmof an organi'ation.

$rgani'ations are ultimately created andsustained by conscious and unconscious

processes- people can become imprisoned

in or confined by the images! ideas!

thoughts! and actions to which these

processes give rise. ()organ*

$rgani'ations are a metaphor! or manifestation of a living

organism! with the same conscious and unconscious

processes! images and dysfunction of a person. They

pro+ect their unconscious fears! hopes! and anxieties onto

their members who then internali'e and identify with the

images the organi'ation has created of itself. ,eople within

organi'ation are trapped not only by their individual psychic

prisons! but also by the prison of the collective psyche

created by the organi'ation.


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Three Major Theme inColle!e Novel

. The urriculum/. 0cademic %reedom

1. Tenure


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The Curriculum: urriculum - derives from the 2atin currere

meaning to run3 the course of the race

This implies that one of the functions of a

curriculum is to provide a template or design

which enables learning to take place. (4ikipedia*


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The Curriculum:

)any decisions by faculty are entirely the

result of personal issues with the curriculum

providing the arena by which can be played

out.


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Academic Freedom

Academic freedomis the belief that the freedom

of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission

of the academy as well as the principles of academia! and

that scholars should have freedom to teach or

communicate ideas or facts (including those that are

inconvenient to external political groups or to

authorities* without being targeted for repression! +ob

loss! or imprisonment. ()eriam 4ebster dictionary*

0cademic freedom is always protected! and

even held on high regard! so long as it does notpose any real danger to the administration. 6eal

danger include administrative disputes with

governing boards or donors! or conflicts that

threaten the image or reputation of the

institution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academia


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Tenure:

Tenure is fundamentally valuable to the

academy and is considered a reasonableresponse to the highly speciali'ed nature of

academic work and the long training period.

Tenure lays no claim whatsoever to a

guarantee of lifetime employment. Tenure

provides only that no person! continuously

retained as a full-timed faculty member beyond

a specified lengthy period of probationaryservice! may thereafter be dismissed without

adequate cause.

Tenure is translatable principally as a

statement as a statement of formal assurance

that hereafter the individuals& professional

security and academic freedom will not be

placed in question without full academic dueprocess.

Tenure is a guarantee of life

employment.


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Dicuion$rgani'ations are fundamentally governed by

conscious and unconscious processes! with the notion

that people can actually be imprisoned in or confined

by the images! ideas! thoughts! and actions to which

these processes give rise.()organ*

$rgani'ation does not necessarily exist to

accomplish a tangible! worthwhile task but to give shape

and substance to human existence.


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"#chic "rion and$e%ualit#

)organ (778* explored the ways in which

issues surrounding sexuality can surface withinan organi'ation and influence the ways in which

decisions are made. Two aspects or repressed

sexuality within organi'ations will be discussed3

bureaucracy and repressed sexuality! and

patriarchal dominance.

0ccording to )organ! This conflict between

organi'ation and sexuality should come as no surprise!for mastery and control of the body is fundamental for

control over social and political life. The rise of formal

organi'ation and the routini'ation of the human body.

%aculty actually have a great deal of power within

the bureaucracy! especially that faculty with tenure.


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Dependenc# and DefeneMechanim

9t is important to understand the role that

personal issues and desires play in regard to

decision making (practically or fairness*. )any

decisions involve the interplay of defense

mechanisms and dependency issues within the

psyche.

)oney operates most obviously as metaphor

for prestige! power and positional

strength.

)a+or factor in decision making


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&!ocentrim and Narciim)ost organi'ations fundamentally operate on a

single underlying principle- to reproduce themselves at

any cost ()organ*. )embers of am organi'ations act

consciously and unconsciously in order to protect the

organi'ation.

)organ suggested a theory called autopoiesis! the

ability of organi'ations to renew or replicate themselves.

)organ described narcissistic organi'ations as

interacting with pro+ections of themselves and

suggests that many of the problems with this type oforgani'ations are simply a matter of creating and

maintaining a particular image. arcissistic

organi'ations are in love with a created! ideali'ed image

of themselves. 2ike narcissism in individuals! this is an

extremely destructive and unfulfilling state of mind.

The organi'ation loves itself when it is liberal!

free and spontaneous.

)organ explained that egocentric organi'ationsare those organi'ations that have a fixed notion of

who they are and sustain that identity at any cost.

(:oth are trapped by a vision of themselves*.

;gocentric organi'ations are trapped by arrogance

and not by self-love.

;gocentric decisions made by faculty and

administrations. urriculum and instruction

presumably a primary focus at any school are

routinely ignored and downplayed.


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Concluion

)ost disturbing about the portrayal of faculty&s

role in decision making and governance in the college

novel is the manner in which faculty are depicted.

)organs paradigm of organi'ations as psychic prisons

seems to provide an accurate framework to organi'e

characteri'ations of faculty as represented in college

novels. Their behaviours and attitudes reflect a

symbiotic relationship with academe.

%aculty create images of themselves

within the organi'ations as a copingmechanism! and these images then influence

the organi'ation itself. Thus! higher education

is a microcosm of society but it is one that has

evolved on a separate path.


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