one more thing: on globalization and education

I forgot to add one very interesting point from my conversation with Prof. Domina. I asked him about the common rhetoric (we are all familiar with it) that furthers the image of the university as an innovation factory (very evident here: http://www.dailycal.org/article/106932/a_call_to_stop_university_fee_increases). In this link, we see gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom saying things that we probably would like to hear from our candidates: stop fee increases, lets put a high value on higher education, etc. But it is phrased in terms like "more workforce development specific coursework and investments in job placement....Jobs in the 21st century economy will require employees to have expertise in engineering, applied sciences and math. College is the ideal venue for instilling these skills in tomorrow's workforce."
So we see higher education getting valued, but only in free-market terms. That is, only in terms of enhancing our competiveness in the global market place. Prof. Domina made the interesting point that in China, the complete opposite rhetoric is in fact in place. There, they are worried that they are producing legions of "yes men" who are unable to engage in critical thinking and analytic skills. An interesting topic for our course may be to consider the effects of a globalized market place on higher education, what sorts of rhetorics or ideals it creates, and how they could end up conflicting or complimenting each other. If the humanities can help shape this rhetoric, it may make people think more favorably of the 'intrinsic value' of higher education. On the other hand, were we to try to "sell it" in this manner, we would essentially be buying into the neoliberal terms for the immediate pragmatic purpose of getting our funding.