Knowledge in the Service of Whose Society? The Ethics and Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions within the Realms of Civic Engagement and Labor Policies

dc.contributor.author

Marshall, Shadee'

dc.date.accessioned

2010-05-07T11:38:40Z

dc.date.available

2010-05-07T11:38:40Z

dc.date.issued

2010-05-07T11:38:40Z

dc.department

Cultural Anthropology

dc.description

Distinction Thesis

dc.description.abstract

In this thesis I explore the ways in which social responsibility and ethics are defined within institutions of higher education. I question whether the ethics that universities portray through their civic engagement endeavors correlate with the ethics displayed by their labor policies. My field site is located at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. My method for collecting data involved interviewing students, faculty, general employees, and administrators from the campus. I draw on Karl Marx’s theories of labor division and capitalism to examine the social framework of labor at Duke. Furthermore, I analyze the ethical environment of Duke through the lens of Emile Durkheim and critique the presumed collective consciousness of the university. Through my research, I discovered that while the university deploys students into the world with the hopes of eradicating social injustices, it perpetuates these injustices within its walls. Despite their idealism, universities are not immune to issues of race, class, status and gender. Duke University is a business. As such, profit, public image, and self-sustainability often sway its moral compass. Yet, a critique of the university’s ethics is complicated. First, the term “ethical” is merely empty rhetoric. Second, universities are not just self-profiting institutions of privilege but they can also serve as a positive resource for society.

dc.identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2257

dc.language.iso

en_US

dc.subject

Civic engagement

dc.subject

Ethics

dc.subject

Social responsibility

dc.subject

Labor policies

dc.subject

Duke University

dc.subject

Institutions of Higher Education

dc.title

Knowledge in the Service of Whose Society? The Ethics and Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions within the Realms of Civic Engagement and Labor Policies

dc.type

Honors thesis

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis- Shadee Marshall.pdf
Size:
1.07 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format