Reconstructing the University

Reviews / Votes

"This is an extraordinary, pioneering book that should become an instant classic in the field. The data set is remarkable and comparative in scope. The theoretical argument is bold but persuasive. It is rooted in modern institutional theory and shows off the power of this line of thinking. It also shatters a number of myths about the academy during the twentieth century."-Comparative Education Review "This is gripping stuff: the claim is that, over time, universities have grown to resemble one another, in terms of how they allocate their faculty resources and thereby demonstrate dedication to upholding the various disciplines. More centrally, from Frank and Gabler's perspective, this trend is a clear manifestation of the global macro-level phenomena they see in their broadly international data."-Science and Public Policy "I found this book absolutely engrossing and enlightening."-Review of Higher Education "This book offers plenty of detailed information to readers who are interested in shifts among the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences... in universities all around the world."-Studies in Higher Education "A complex work that will be of interest to scholars in many fields, as well as to any critics of higher education who wish to embrace a more thoughtful view of the reasons behind curriculum change than some we have seen in the past."-College and Research Libraries "This is a fine book, designed for any course dealing with higher education."-CHOICE "Reconstructing the University is one of the most interesting books on changes in higher education that I have come across. By sampling university course catalogues from countries in Europe and the Americas to those in the Middle and Far East, Africa and Oceania, Frank and Gabler are able to map broad convergences in the fate of the humanities, social sciences and sciences over the course of the 20th century. The changes they demonstrate-especially, the phenomenal rise of the social sciences-suggest that it is more than plausible to think of universities as constituents of a worldwide republic of learning."-Gerhard Casper, President Emeritus, Stanford University "The broad sweep of this study, both chronologically and geographically, is unprecedented in this area of research. The general pattern of findings-expanding social sciences, declining humanities, steady natural sciences throughout the world-and the specific findings for particular disciplines will be eye-opening for many specialists and professionals. This is a landmark study of the structure of organized knowledge."-John Boli, Emory University "[Frank and Gabler's] contribution is remarkable for its holistic study of global higher education."-Education Review