Refocusing the Self in Higher Education : A Phenomenological Perspective

In higher education literature, theories of learning and development have largely been adapted from psychology to the exclusion of basic insights from philosophy. This volume addresses the gaps in higher education’s theoretical base created by this inattention to philosophy and introduces the history of philosophy to the field of higher education in an accessible and useful way. Key insights from phenomenological and then deconstructive philosophy are explained and woven into a practical theory of the student-subject and its implications for learning and development. Finally, narrative theory is introduced in conjunction with these philosophical considerations as the author considers alternative ways of conceptualizing the student, the student’s experience, and the unification of the curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular aspects of higher education.

In higher education literature, theories of learning and development have largely been adapted from psychology to the exclusion of basic insights from philosophy. This volume addresses the gaps in higher education’s theoretical base created by this inattention to philosophy and reflects on the significance of the history of philosophy for the field of higher education. Key insights from phenomenological and then deconstructive philosophy are explained in an accessible and useful way and woven into a practical theory of the student-subject and its implications for learning and development. Finally, narrative theory is introduced in conjunction with these philosophical considerations as the author considers alternative ways of conceptualizing the student, the student’s experience, and the unification of the curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular aspects of higher education.