https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/YELC6009?type=COREWhy are universities the way they are? Why do they differ - sometimes drastically? How have they changed? What is the significance of these (shifting) contexts for those who learn and teach in higher education? In this course, we trace the evolution of the modern university, explore its variety (both globally, and within countries), and analyze contemporary trends such as internationalization, fights over equity and inclusion, and AI. Just as importantly, this course puts the history, philosophy, and sociology of higher education in dialogue with scholarship on teaching and learning. Thus we also examine approaches to teaching philosophy, teaching practices, and curricular design, generally pairing a historical or sociological reading each week with readings and discussion of implications for what and how to teach. The goal is to enable early-career educators to more effectively teach by promoting, on the one hand, understanding of and reflection on higher education institutions and systems, and on the other hand, reflections on the teaching approaches embedded in those systems. Phrased slightly differently, the course helps participants reflect on the educational paradigms that shape their teaching - and take conscious action within the possibilities and constraints of their contexts.For reasons of language, influence, and location, the syllabus focuses on English-language readings about European universities. However, it seeks to highlight a variety of European and non-European traditions and invites students to connect the common readings with the institutions and contexts with which they are familiar. The result is a highly interactive, pilot course, focused partly on universities as sites of study and even more on universities as sites of intentional teaching.