E-raamat: Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education

Chickering (Goddard College), Dalton (educational leadership and policy studies, Florida State U., Tallahassee), and Stamm (childhood studies, Rutgers U.) argue that those in higher education need to temper the current heavy emphasis on rational empiricism and professional and vocational preparation with increased efforts to help students address issues of authenticity, spiritual growth, and the search for meaning and purpose. After providing some broad theoretical, historical, societal, and educational perspectives that frame their thinking, the authors discuss the practical issues of how to begin enriching the curricula, pedagogy, students affairs programs, and sense of community in colleges and universities, and then address the challenges of such "institutional amplification," including issues of planned change and professional development, assessment, and leadership. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive resource that addresses the growing movement for incorporating spirituality as an important aspect of the meaning and purpose of higher education. Written by Arthur W. Chickering, Jon C. Dalton, and Leisa Stamm—experts in the field of educational leadership and policy—Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education shows how to encourage increased authenticity and spiritual growth among students and education professionals by offering alternative ways of knowing, being, and doing.

Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education includes a rich array of examples to guide the integration of authenticity and spirituality in curriculum, student affairs, community partnerships, assessment, and policy issues. Many of these illustrative examples represent specific policies and programs that have successfully been put in place at diverse institutions across the country. In addition, the authors cover the theoretical, historical, and social perspectives on religion and higher education and examine the implications for practice. They include the results of recent court cases that deal with church-state issues and offer recommendations that pose no legal barrier to implementation.