As a sequel to workshops about knowledge production organized last January 2010, Kritische Studenten Utrecht has planned a new interdisciplinary research course in collaboration with University teachers. It will start coming February 2011 at Utrecht University, can earn students (and non-students) up to 7,5 ECTS study credits, span a period of approximately 14 weeks, and will be focused on one central question: How does the university work and why does it work the way it does?
Various stakeholders of the university will be taken into consideration such as students, university staff, management layers, as well as external actors such as the government, the private sector and the economy and society in general. Topics to be discussed and researched will include increasing modern managerialism at the University, the impact of the economic crisis and budget cuts in education, research and student financing.
Moreover, another goal of the research course is to bring into practice a course which promotes students’ participation in defining the study programme and research methodologies themselves, while being encouraged to use a diverse and creative methodology to answer the central question. Students can work on a research project of choice by using literature, doing fieldwork or interviews and use video reports besides written material to present results. Subscription is open to students from different disciplines since interdisciplinary approaches to the central question will also be encouraged.
As with the workshops on knowledge production last January, in the aftermath of the course students are encouraged to use the results in a variety of ways to further a critical debate about the university among students and staff
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Een bericht van Kritische Studenten Utrecht (zoals verschenen in Krantje Boord #4, december 2010)