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30.05.2013
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Call for proposals: Student engagement in Europe – society, higher education and student governance

Publisher: Council of Europe Higher Education series (forthcoming in 2014/15)

Editors: Manja Klemencic, Sjur Bergan and Rok Primožic

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Student participation is one of the foundational values of European higher education. It is derived from the democratic model of university governance and of students as acting in public interest. The term refers to both formal and informal channels of student involvement in the matters of governing of universities, but it is increasingly extended to encompass all forms of student engagement in the campus environment and outside of it. Representative student association (most typically in the form of student unions) are the key vehicle of student engagement, but they are not the only one. Students, organized in student unions, in other student interest organisations and involved in student movements, are relevant and potent actors within higher education governance and in society at large. Students participate politically in universities, higher education systems, and also in national and international political and societal movements in various ways. They do so formally as student representatives in the university governing bodies as well as informally by engaging political actors in the media and on the street. Given their particular social status and intellectual habitus, students have engaged throughout history with social movements and ideological trends, including ideas of nationalism and radicalism.

The proposed book has three aims. First, it will seek to discuss the role students have in wider society: How politically and civically engaged are contemporary students? What modes of engagement do they prefer? What are student political attitudes? What are contemporary student social movements: their ideas and actions? What can be done to promote student civic engagement and democratic participation? Not least, do they engage on specific issues or in movements that have a coherent view of how our societies should develop?

Second, the book will investigate the mechanisms and channels of influence students have on higher education policy making, and how these can be improved. This part of the book will explore student participation in and influence on decisions on institutional, national and European levels in various areas: formal governing, access and social dimension, quality assurance, student-centred learning, student experience and student services, and student welfare and financing.

Finally, it will unravel what entails good governance of representative student bodies and how to achieve it. Some of the key challenges facing contemporary student unions lie in the heterogeneity of the student body and the divergences of student interests and preferences. Not least, the fact that many students are no longer of “classical student age” (roughly 18 – 24) and have family and work obligations makes it more difficult for them to engage in student activities. One of the questions of student governance is how to keep student unions open and representative. The other question is how to reach, connect with and mobilise the increasingly diverse student body. The ongoing challenge of student unions is in upholding the organisational autonomy. This lies in freedom from interference from higher education institutions, governments, and others outside, and freedom to decide within internal democratic processes for what purposes and how student unions will use own resources.

Call for proposals

We are seeking proposals for several categories of articles on key themes concerning student engagement in contemporary Europe. Please send your proposal on the attached form containing an outline of the intended article (max 400 words) and your CV or biography by 1 June 2013 to manja.klemencic@gmail.com or rok@esu-online.org and mention in message subject: “CoE book submission”. Authors will be notified by 15 July 2013. Final articles are due 15 December 2013.

ARTICLE CATEGORIES:

We invite articles of 3000-5000 words in length in following categories:
–    Analytic research articles describe an existing situation (e.g., a policy, organization, or concept), and use that description for some analytic purpose: respond to it, evaluate it according to some specific criteria, examine it for cause-and-effect linkages, contrast it to what happened elsewhere, to what might have been, or to what we have today. Background description is the necessary first step towards analysis and should comprise no more than 20% of the article. Consider using one of the following common analytic designs to generate new ideas: Question/Answer, Problem/Solution, Hypothesis/Proof, Comparison/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Change over Time.

–    Best practices articles focus on offering straightforward, actionable advice on various topics pertaining student unions or student movements.

–    Policy Briefs feature synopses of key policy analysis intended to frame issues, inform decisions and guide policy action in the intersection between research and policy. The article should start with an overview of recommendations, methodology, and a roadmap, not with background material. Article structure should be designed considering findings and recommendations, not according to the steps in your research journey.

SUGGESTED (BUT NOT EXCLUSIVE) THEMES:

PART I STUDENTS’ ROLE IN THE SOCIETY: DEMOCRACY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

–    Student identity in contemporary Europe
–    Non-active and apathetic students
–    Student activism – past and present
–    Contemporary student movements
–    Students against tuition fees
–    Students and issues of ‘race’ and ethnicity
–    Gender mainstreaming and students
–    Student civic engagement
–    Student democratic participation
–    Student participation in student unions and in broader society organisations: complementary or alternative?
–    Students and democratisation, reconstruction or reconciliation of societies
–    Students in new democracies
–    Students and transformation of societies
–    Students, higher education and social justice
–    Access to higher education and equity
–    Students and social mobility
–    Student rights
–    Mass higher education and student activism
–    Commercialisation of education and student activism
–    Students and international development

PART II STUDENT INFLUENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Institutional/sub-institutional level:
–    Student unions and institutional governing: are governing structures changing? New stakeholders? Institutional managers?
–    Students and other stakeholders: allies or foes?
–    Students and academics: allies or foes?
–    Students and institutional leadership: allies or foes?
–    Student unions and access/equity/social dimension
–    Student charters
–    Student unions and QA
–    Student unions and student-centred learning
–    Student unions and student experience
–    Student unions and student services
–    Student unions and student financing
–    Student unions and student welfare
–    Student unions and institutional research
–    Student unions and internationalisation
–    Student unions and student mobility
–    Student unions and gender mainstreaming
–    Student unions and graduate employability
–    Modes of action: lobby, protest, info campaigns
–    Impact of student unions: success stories
–    Fragmented student voice?

National level:
–    NUSes and HE policy making: are policy processes changing? Who is at the table and who not? Allies and foes?
–    Access/equity/equality/social dimension
–    QA and accreditation
–    Student-centred learning
–    Student experience
–    Student services
–    Student financing
–    Student welfare
–    Internationalisation
–    Gender mainstreaming
–    Graduate employability
–    Modes of action: lobby, protest, info campaigns
–    Impact: success stories
–    NUSes and other stakeholders
–    NUSes and associations of higher education institutions
–    NUSes and governments
–    Fragmented student voice?

European level:
–    ESU and HE policy making: are policy processes changing? Who is at the table and who not? Allies and foes?
–    ESU and the Bologna Process
–    ESU and Council of Europe/EU/ENQA/EI/E4/EUA/European Youth Forum
–    Access/Equity/Equality/Social dimension
–    QA and accreditation
–    Student-centred learning
–    Student experience
–    Student services
–    Student financing
–    Student welfare
–    Internationalisation
–    Gender mainstreaming
–    Graduate employability
–    Modes of action: lobby, protest, info campaigns
–    Impact: success stories
–    ESU and other regional associations
–    ESU and solidarity
–    ESU and international cooperation

PART III STUDENT GOVERNANCE

Institutional/sub-institutional level:
–    Autonomy of student unions
–    Financing of student unions
–    Membership
–    Governing structures
–    Organisational capacity: resources, administration
–    Legal status of student unions
–    Student charters
–    Student body: diversity, mobilisation, communication to, engagement versus apathy,
–    Students: identity, interests, engagement (who are today’s students)
–    Student elections
–    Gender mainstreaming in student unions
–    Internal legitimacy of student unions
–    Professionalisation of student unions
–    Services to students
–    Services to the institution
–    Relations to sectorial, political, religious, cultural, etc. student groups
–    Relations to student movements

National level:
–    Autonomy of national student unions
–    Financing of national student unions
–    Membership
–    Voluntary versus automatic versus compulsory membership
–    Governing structures
–    Organisational capacity: resources
–    Legal status of national student unions
–    Cooperation/competition between student associations active on national level
–    Student body: diversity, mobilisation, communication to, engagement versus apathy,
–    Students: identity, interests, engagement (who are today’s students)
–    Student elections
–    Gender mainstreaming in student unions
–    Internal legitimacy of student unions
–    Professionalisation of national student unions
–    Services to students
–    Services to the institution
–    Relations to sectorial, political, religious, cultural, etc. student groups
–    Relations to student movements

European level:
–    Autonomy of ESU
–    Financing of ESU
–    ESU members and membership issues
–    Communicating with members
–    Informing members
–    Engaging members
–    ESU governing structures
–    ESU organisational capacity: resources
–    ESU elections
–    Internal legitimacy
–    Gender mainstreaming in student unions
–    Professionalisation of ESU
–    Services to members
–    Services to others: consulting, information projects
–    Relations to sectorial, political, religious, cultural, etc. student groups

Editors:
Manja Klemencic, Postdoctoral Fellow in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Associate Research Fellow, Centre for Education Policy Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana; Associate Editor, European Journal of Higher Education
Sjur Bergan, Head of the Education Department, Council of Europe; series editor of the Council of Europe Higher Education Series
Rok Primožic, Chairperson-elect, European Students’ Union

 

Proposal for an article

Student engagement in Europe: society, higher education and student governance
Please send to manja.klemencic@gmail.org or rok@esu-online.org by 1 June, 2013

Title of the proposed article:
Article category (please mark):
_    Analytic research article
_    Best practices article
_    Policy Brief

Thematic category (Please mark and provide up to 6 keywords.):
_     Part I Students’ role in the society: democratic participation and civic engagement
Keywords:
_      Part II Student influence in higher education governance
Keywords:
_    Part III Student governance
Keywords:

Article abstract (maximum 400 words):

Author’s name:
Author’s affiliation (university/student union/other):
Contact details (email and postal address):
Please attach a short biography or CV.

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