Quality, dissonance and rhythm within higher education

  • Y. Waghid

Abstract

In this article, I argue for a position of quality in higher education commensurate with the cultivation of dissonance and rhythmic action. I focus specifically on the (South) African university and the reason why dissonance and rhythm offer pragmatic ways to respond to changes in and about university education. Without being oblivious of the tremendous strides universities have made on the African continent, my contention is that not enough has been done to ensure that quality and change have been enhanced. My argument is deconstructive and conceptual in the sense that I endeavour to imagine what universities will look like beyond merely consolidating their claims of rationality. In this article, I offer my thoughts on new imaginings for higher education as propositional pieces cohered by the central themes of dissonance and rhythm.

 

Author Biography

Y. Waghid
Yusef Waghid is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy of Education at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

References

Agamben, G. (2007). Profanations. J. Fort (tr.). London: Zone Books.

Derrida, J. (2005). Sovereignties in question: The poetics of Paul Celan, in T. du Toit & O. Pasanen (eds). New York, NY: Fordham University Press.

Giroux, H.A. & Searls-Giroux, S. (2004). Taking back higher education: Race, youth, and the crisis of democracy in the post-civil rights era. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.

MacIntyre, A. (2009). God, philosophy, universities: A history of the Catholic philosophical tradition. London: Continuum.

Waghid, Y. & Gouws, A. (2006). Higher education quality assurance in South Africa. South African Journal of Higher Education, 20(6): 751–761.

Waghid, Y. (2001). A conceptual analysis of a reflexive democratic praxis related to higher education transformation in South Africa. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University.

Published
2019-08-25
How to Cite
Waghid, Y. 2019. “Quality, Dissonance and Rhythm Within Higher Education”. South African Journal of Higher Education 33 (3), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.20853/33-3-3569.
Section
Leading Article