Universities: myths, fashion and trends

Abstract

Universities, like all the other human institutions, could not remain aloof from the real necessity to com- bine a socially desirable mission with a whole of myths, fashion and trends that not always can withstanda critical analysis, the kind of analysis that university researchers and teachers do apply to other fields ofknowledge but tend to forget when we carry out an analysis of our closest environment. It is important to analyze from a critical perspective (that is not necessarily negative) the trends that dominate the current scene of higher education. Like in all social phenomena, these trends are based on real demands, but those demands have been accompanied with elements whose validity is highly questionable and that dis- tort in many cases the original objectives that explain what gave rise to the referred trends. This articleoffers an analysis of some of the myths and trends that in some cases are just passing fashion, and of otheraspects which really belong to the essence of university: to serve society training persons and preparing them to live and work in a globalized world.