Historical Context of Student Activism

Abstract

College students have a long history of activism and protest on campus, beginning with the founding of some of the earliest European colleges. This activism at Bologna resulted in students making decisions about who would teach and what would be taught. More contemporary activism has been noted for a brief period in the 1960s and 1970s, and that powerful experience brought social activism to college campuses as never before. The evolution of activism has resulted in a managed experience by institutions with specific outcomes, whether socialization or learning-oriented expectations, and that college administrators find an important role in encouraging healthy activism for welfare of the student's development.