Spring 2026 reading list
The below list is informed by the received feedback and in group discussions.
[12] January, 28th, 2026: Gasset, José Ortega. Mission of the University. [1946], originally published in Spanish, in 1930.
José Ortega y Gasset was a Spanish philosopher and essayist, who eventually had to flee Spain into exile at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936. In this text, he reflects on what he saw as a loss of cultural formation in modern society, driven by mass politics, the dominance of specialized technical knowledge, and the growing influence of anti-intellectual attitudes.
[13] February, 25th, 2026: Arinori, Mori. Life and Resources in America, 1871, Ch. 8 “Educational Life and Institutions” pp. 237-268
Mori Arinori, was a Japanese diplomat and social reformer, who commented upon American life and Western culture in Japan’s efforts to modernize. Specifically, he was concerned with strengthening Japan’s moral, intellectual, and civic foundations during the early Meiji period, with the goal of national advancement in an increasingly competitive international order.
[14] March, 25th, 2026: Whewell, William, On the principles of English university education, 1838, Ch. 3 “On Discipline” pp. 78-134
William Whewell was an English polymath and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, who coined the word “scientist”. He argued against reducing university education to narrow professional or practical ends, emphasizing intellectual discipline, moral formation, and the unity of knowledge within the context of increasing industrialization and the growing emphasis on the utility of knowledge.
[15] April, 29th, 2026: Duvergier, Lois, vol. XVI, Decree for Organizing the Imperial University, March 17, 1808. pp. 238-248.
This decree established the centralized Imperial University under Napoleon I, following the social and institutional upheavals of the French Revolution. Its purpose was to create a modern, state-controlled higher education system, subordinating higher education to state authority in order to ensure ideological uniformity, administrative efficiency, and loyalty to the Napoleonic regime.
[16] May, 27th, 2026: Comenius, John Amos, The Great Didactic, 1657, “Greetings to the reader” to Chapter 4, pp. 5- 56
John Amos Comenius was a Czech philosopher and theologian, writing amid the religious and political chaos of the Thirty Years’ War. He articulated foundational principles of modern education, like that of universal schooling, systematic pedagogy, and learning adapted to human development,
As you can see from the selection of the reading material, many of our contemporary problems reoccur within the historical context in which the institution that is the university grew. Hopefully, our knowledge and understanding of how these historical ambitions played out, will provide a ground for fruitful discussion.
