Purposes of College Education Pericles Lewis, Dean of Yale College

Higher education can have a profound impact on how students resist unjust actions. The episode investigates the intersection of education and civil disobedience, highlighting Thoreau’s emphasis on individual self-reliance and Gandhi’s focus on collective resistance. Student interviews reveal how higher education communities bring students together and influence collective action. Dean Pericles Lewis is joined by Yale students EJ Jarvis ’23 and Charlotte Berney ’25.

What is the role of community in college education? In this episode, Yale students discuss their engagement in the Yale community and how it has influenced their education and personal growth. The episode also explores the perspectives of philosophers like John Dewey, Plato, and concepts from the Bhagavad Gita, emphasizing the importance of duty, discipline, and action within a community. Dean Pericles Lewis is joined by Yale students EJ Jarvis ’23 and Charlotte Berney ’25.

Conversation and debate on campus can lead to controversy. This episode analyzes political scientist Keith Whittington’s writings on free expression and academic freedom as they apply to college experiences today. Dean Pericles Lewis is joined by Yale students Claire Michalik ’25 and Zadie Winthrop ’26.

Higher education involves engaging in conversation, both specific discussions about course material and broader conversations about the search for knowledge and shared understanding. The importance of conversation in achieving knowledge is explored through Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty. Dean Pericles Lewis is joined by Yale students Claire Michalik ’25 and Zadie Winthrop ’26.

College is a crucial institution in which our society works through its expectations for young people. This podcast explores some of the purposes that have been ascribed to college, including conversation with others on intellectual matters, development of personal character, participation in a community, and preparation for citizenship. There are countless purposes ranging from the practical to the personal, including career preparation and pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. The episodes will be released in couplets for each purpose, pairing the historic with the contemporary to trace the lineage of the theme throughout the centuries . Ideally, listeners will reflect on their educational experiences and consider ways that college can meet the needs of future generations.

This podcast will launch on May 5th on all podcast platforms.