Overview

The totalising effect of consumerism, well-being and satisfaction is a discourse which may negate the value of struggle and mastery of complex subjects and a realization of personal potentiality. Published open access, Why Universities Should Seek Happiness and Contentment considers the consequences of a hedonistic and well-being centred model of student education as one of the goals of higher education and proposes an alternative goal for higher education. In a globalised consumer society where the anxiety for an identity leads to the fear of not reaching the standard, Paul Gibbs shows how anxiety can be harnessed to secure contentment with one’s own future without the fear of consumer-induced emptiness. He conceptualises higher education in a counter-valued way to the current dominant discourse of higher education institutions and educational policy while placing students at the centre of their own educational activity. In doing so, Gibbs proposes contentment as a guiding principle of higher education. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Knowledge Unlatched.

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9781350100657

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Reviews

This book makes a substantial contribution to the current empirical and philosophical literature not only by reframing what it means to be `happy' and/or `content' with one's education in terms of self-cultivation rather than desire satisfaction, but also by elucidating what a pedagogy of contentment might involve. This can be seen as a manifesto for student contentment rather than satisfaction, which should resonate with all parties involved in the HE sector. * Journal of the Philosophy of Education * Paul Gibbs offers an intriguing trove of conceptual adaptations, incisive observations and accessible critiques, which cumulatively serve to target the standardising bureaucracies infecting educational practices ... [His] timely book deserves wide and careful reading; it responds to the dearth of skilful, provocative and hopeful texts, and sets out to offer alternative possibilities and practices for practitioners within contemporary higher education. * British Journal of Educational Studies * Paul Gibbs tackles with verve a fascinating concept - that the University might be about more than its research productivity and graduate employability, its metrics and market position. He takes us back to Humboldt and Newman, to the debate about what are universities for, to the idea and ideal of the University. * David Palfreyman, Fellow, New College, University of Oxford, UK * In this restrained and highly accessible work, Paul Gibbs both develops a subtle argument about happiness as contentment and treats us to an exemplary demonstration of the contribution that philosophy can make to these important questions. Both philosophers and students of higher education can gain much from this enjoyable work but so, too, could managers, policy makers and those in the political sphere * Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, University College London * This is a long awaited book on contentment in higher education. It covers various important problems and digs deep into the notion. Key issues are clarified with solid discussions. It is highly inspiring, and reading it is a gratifying process. * K.C. Li, Director, University Research Centre, The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong * Gibbs' book is a major contribution to the field of happiness research. His well-researched and compelling perspective goes far beyond many popular but superficial ideas for attaining happiness. He marries highly intellectual thinking with practical ideas to urge universities to create a pedagogy of contentment . * Linda Neuhauser, Clinical Professor, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA *

This book makes a substantial contribution to the current empirical and philosophical literature not only by reframing what it means to be ‘happy’ and/or ‘content’ with one’s education in terms of self-cultivation rather than desire satisfaction, but also by elucidating what a pedagogy of contentment might involve. This can be seen as a manifesto for student contentment rather than satisfaction, which should resonate with all parties involved in the HE sector. * Journal of the Philosophy of Education * Paul Gibbs offers an intriguing trove of conceptual adaptations, incisive observations and accessible critiques, which cumulatively serve to target the standardising bureaucracies infecting educational practices ... [His] timely book deserves wide and careful reading; it responds to the dearth of skilful, provocative and hopeful texts, and sets out to offer alternative possibilities and practices for practitioners within contemporary higher education. * British Journal of Educational Studies * Paul Gibbs tackles with verve a fascinating concept - that the University might be about more than its research productivity and graduate employability, its metrics and market position. He takes us back to Humboldt and Newman, to the debate about what are universities for, to the idea and ideal of the University. * David Palfreyman, Fellow, New College, University of Oxford, UK * In this restrained and highly accessible work, Paul Gibbs both develops a subtle argument about happiness as contentment and treats us to an exemplary demonstration of the contribution that philosophy can make to these important questions. Both philosophers and students of higher education can gain much from this enjoyable work but so, too, could managers, policy makers and those in the political sphere * Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, University College London * This is a long awaited book on contentment in higher education. It covers various important problems and digs deep into the notion. Key issues are clarified with solid discussions. It is highly inspiring, and reading it is a gratifying process. * K.C. Li, Director, University Research Centre, The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong * Gibbs’ book is a major contribution to the field of “happiness” research. His well-researched and compelling perspective goes far beyond many popular but superficial ideas for attaining happiness. He marries highly intellectual thinking with practical ideas to urge universities to create a “pedagogy of contentment”. * Linda Neuhauser, Clinical Professor, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA *

This book makes a substantial contribution to the current empirical and philosophical literature not only by reframing what it means to be 'happy' and/or 'content' with one's education in terms of self-cultivation rather than desire satisfaction, but also by elucidating what a pedagogy of contentment might involve. This can be seen as a manifesto for student contentment rather than satisfaction, which should resonate with all parties involved in the HE sector. * Journal of the Philosophy of Education * Paul Gibbs offers an intriguing trove of conceptual adaptations, incisive observations and accessible critiques, which cumulatively serve to target the standardising bureaucracies infecting educational practices ... [His] timely book deserves wide and careful reading; it responds to the dearth of skilful, provocative and hopeful texts, and sets out to offer alternative possibilities and practices for practitioners within contemporary higher education. * British Journal of Educational Studies * Paul Gibbs tackles with verve a fascinating concept - that the University might be about more than its research productivity and graduate employability, its metrics and market position. He takes us back to Humboldt and Newman, to the debate about what are universities for, to the idea and ideal of the University. * David Palfreyman, Fellow, New College, University of Oxford, UK * In this restrained and highly accessible work, Paul Gibbs both develops a subtle argument about happiness as contentment and treats us to an exemplary demonstration of the contribution that philosophy can make to these important questions. Both philosophers and students of higher education can gain much from this enjoyable work but so, too, could managers, policy makers and those in the political sphere * Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, University College London * This is a long awaited book on contentment in higher education. It covers various important problems and digs deep into the notion. Key issues are clarified with solid discussions. It is highly inspiring, and reading it is a gratifying process. * K.C. Li, Director, University Research Centre, The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong * Gibbs' book is a major contribution to the field of happiness research. His well-researched and compelling perspective goes far beyond many popular but superficial ideas for attaining happiness. He marries highly intellectual thinking with practical ideas to urge universities to create a pedagogy of contentment . * Linda Neuhauser, Clinical Professor, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA *

Author Information

Paul Gibbs is Professor of Education and Research Director of the Centre for Education Research and Scholarship at Middlesex University, UK. He has written widely on higher education matters ranging from pedagogy, marketing and the goal of higher education in a period of marketization.

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