Many people think the point of higher education is economic: graduates get better paying jobs and the economy gets the knowledge-workers it needs. But, there is another story. There is a role for higher education in skilling-up citizens so they can play an active and effective role in a democratic society. Hear from political philosopher, Professor Fred D’Agostino as he shares numerous examples of this alternative story. Fred D’Agostino is Professor of Humanities at The University of Queensland and was Executive Dean of Arts and Associate Dean of Arts (Academic) during his ten-year stint at UQ. He is a philosopher, author of four books, sometime editor of the journals Australasian Journal of Philosophy and Politics, and Philosophy and Economics. He co-edited the recent Routledge Companion to Political and Social Philosophy. A member of the UQ Senate for four years, he is interested in the purposes and processes of higher education. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and has held Australian Research Council and Australian Learning and Teaching Council grants. His next big project is on “the disciplines” (e.g. History, Sociology) and how they work.
