Council/Research in Values...

The idea of an African university; the Nigerian experience.

Ten academics and administrators from Africa and the U.S. contribute nine chapters exploring Nigeria's challenges in developing universities that strike a balance between ancient cultural wisdom and traditions and the present global age. Coverage includes the struggles faced by Nigerian universities over the past 50 years in building a university system in the midst of a population explosion, a civil war and a revolution in the very nature of what a university is; current curriculum questions now faced by Nigerian universities regarding what specifically is to be taught; and the response to the cultural challenge faced by universities to shape physical, social, and cultural progress in ways consistent with a Nigerian identity and vice versa. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Shanghai; its urbanization and culture.

A team of philosophers from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences examine their city from the perspective of the history and theory of the development of cities, the impact of cities on values, and the impact of values on the urban environment. Their topics include the homesickness or nostalgia of a modern people, the image of the city and cultural selection, the petite bourgeoisie and the coffee house, and the development of Shanghai urban folklore. The papers were completed in 2004, and then translated (many of the 18 contributions were written in Chinese) and painstakingly edited. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)