On Academic Bildung in Higher Education: A Scandinavian approach

Abstract

Are there specific qualities or traits of a Scandinavian concept of Academic Bildung to be found in higher education in the Scandinavian countries today? If there are, can and should we expect to find such traits in students going through net-based education? <p>

<p>In this chapter we discuss what Academic Bildung is and should be in general, and what it is or has a potential to be, in higher education institutions. Bildung is a pedagogical concept which dates back to the Greek antiquity, and it points to personal development processes that the individual engage in when meeting the physical and cultural reality. We explain how we see Bildung relating to specific Scandinavian conceptions of education, which is to say welfare state conceptions of education, as well as adult education, People‟s Enlightenment, and Enlightenment for life. Through this, we hope to identify some more specific capacities of a Scandinavian concept of Academic Bildung, a concept that will be relevant to higher education in general, and thus also to net-based higher education.