Discussion About the Book by A. Kubyshkin “Town and Gown. The American University in the Structure of Civic Society”

Abstract

The new book by Alexander Kubyshkin, “Town and Gown. The American University in the Structure of Civic Society”, continues the discussion on U.S. education. N.A. Tsvetkova notes in the essay the unique methodological approach used by the author, who combines historical studies and memoirs, that makes the book an exceptional historiographical occasion in Russian-American studies. The review notes the following important topics that this book raises for consideration: metaphorical research, questions on the national and global status of a university, the dilemma of isomorphism, educational environment architecture, and the role of travelogues in understanding US universities. A.A. Sergunin’s essay “‘Gown’ in ‘Town’ and for ‘Town’. About the Place of the American University in Society”) focuses on the part of the study where the contribution of the university to the development of the city is determined. Comparing with his own observations, the author, following A.I. Kubyshkin, notes that the American University plays a multidimensional role, first of all, in the local community, especially if it performs the role of a “town-forming enterprise” in a relatively small settlement. A.L. Perevezetsev, in his essay “The American University: From Past to Future,” focuses on the evolution of the role of universities in the development of American cities, noting their economic contribution to the prosperous existence of the surrounding community. The author of the essay also draws attention to the extensive range of sources that the author of the book has accumulated over the years. The essay by S.B. Tokareva indicates the specifics of the author’s style in the book by A.I. Kubyshkin. The author notes that the book is not a rigorous academic study. Being written in a doxatic, subjective modality, it represents the reflections of a well-versed and interested author who offers the reader a panoramic overview of American university life, in which a historical excursion to the origins of American higher education is combined with a lively description of its present. Special attention is paid to reflections on ways of reforming the American and Russian higher education systems. The arguments against the assessment of the reform of the Russian higher school of the late 1990s and early 2000s as a “catch-up modernization” are presented.