Beyond the Lecture Hall
Universities and Community Engagement
from the middle ages to the present day
A conference hosted by the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education in collaboration with the History of Education Society UK
to mark the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University in 2009
Friday 5th to Sunday 7th September 2008
at Homerton College, University of Cambridge, UK
NEW - 8 August 2008 - see Conference Programme latest updates
Conference aims
The conference aims to explore the concept of 'community engagement', as a feature of universities' activity across the centuries, opening opportunities for historical perspectives to inform current debates.
Keynote speakers:
Professor Chris Duke, RMIT University Melbourne and Chief Executive of the PASCAL International Observatory will open the conference.
Professor David McKitterick, Wren Librarian and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
will address the topic of print and publication.
Professor Rosemary O'Day, Professor of History at the Open University
on professional education and training.
Dr. Sandra Raban, Emeritus Fellow of Trinity Hall and editor of Examining the World
on the topic of universities and schools.
Professor Sir David Watson, University of London Institute of Education will reflect on the pattern of university histories.
Conference Strands
The Conference theme has wide implications, but working sessions will be broadly organised within four strands:
- Print and publication:
Through promoting print and publication of the written word, universities disseminated their knowledge to a readership well beyond the confines of the academic community, and this outreach was enhanced by the adoption of broadcasting media, and most recently the internet, for distance learning.
- Professional education and training:
From early engagement with the church, and eventually with the vocational preparation of an increasing range of professional groups over time, universities have contributed significantly to the conceptualization and articulation of professional education and training.
- Universities and schools:
Relationships between universities and the provision of schooling emerged in England with Oxbridge foundations and their associated colleges at Winchester and Eton, but an increasingly close connection with a national school system developed through the establishment of examination boards, and the associated publication of textbooks, and through the training of teachers.
- Adult and continuing education:
Adult and continuing education has been an important extension of the universities' activity, has also provided a vehicle for both disciplines to be brought in from the margins to the mainstream of university teaching and research, and thus the university's academic knowledge has interacted with individual adult learners and broader social movements.
The conference aims to be international in scope, embracing the range of universities and institutions of higher education that have evolved over time and in different national settings.
Within the programme, HES UK is holding an open session on 'work in progress' for new researchers in education history, regardless of topic. Bursaries covering full conference fees for student members of HES UK may be provided on application to the HES. See attached pdf instructions: Application for 'work in progress'.
See HES UK website for details. www.historyofeducation.org.uk
Contact
Conference organisers:
Dr Peter Cunningham, Dr Phil Gardner and Dr Philip Raymont, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education; Prof Dick Taylor and Dr Sue Oosthuizen, University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education; Dr David Crook, University of London; Dr Kevin Myers, University of Birmingham; Dr Stephanie Spencer, University of Winchester.
Enquiries:
Enquiries about any aspect of the Conference to Dr Peter Cunningham, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8PQ, UK; email: pjc36@cam.ac.uk