Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Research Blog #3: How might privatization connect to your topic?
Privatization is the shift from public to private sources of funding. The privatization of colleges is causing tuition to rise because states are cutting back on funding them. This is causing college students to drown in debt from all of the student loans they will need to pay off. This negative effect of privatization connects with my project because the debt causes students so much stress. College brings on a lot of stress that students must learn to cope with, and the rise of tuition just adds to the stress and makes things worse. In "Does 'Stress' Hide Deeper Social Problems?", Dana Becker states, "Stress is now a protean concept whose shape-shifting properties give it tremendous versatility as a vehicle for explaining human dilemmas" (Becker). The excerpt of her article caught my attention because of the truth behind it. Stress is now a very common factor in the college experience. With privatization, there is even more stress for college students.
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The literature on "emerging adulthood" might be useful to look at also, as it will help you think about the larger social stressors facing this generation. It may even shift your topic somewhat.
ReplyDeleteIf you surf around Amazon you will see there is an exploding literature on what some are calling "delayed adulthood" or "emerging adulthood" (depending on your perspective on the issue, I suppose). There are many books on the subject now, for various audiences (from college administrators, to parents trying to get their adult kids to move out of the house, to the young people themselves), and the literature is really growing by the month. The first book I read on the topic was Tamara Draut's "Strapped: Why America's 20- and 30- Somethings Can't Get Ahead (2005) and I thought it was very readable and compelling, as it brings home a lot of the economic shifts that have affected this generation -- not least being the rise of student debt, the expense of owning a home, the delay in establishing a career, etc. Anya Kamenetz's "Generation Debt" (2006) is similar -- but directed at the young people it describes and intended to turn them into activists. Kamenetz's other books and articles -- especially "DIYU" -- focus the issue more toward college, which would be useful for you. (Both authors are featured in that documentary "Default," by the way). Christian Smith's "Lost in Transition" (2011) offers another dark portrait, informed by more thorough research. A somewhat different angle is taken by Jeffrey Arnett, who may have written the most on the topic, and his book "Emerging Adulthood" is one of the more positive portraits of this generation, suggesting that they are likely to develop new ways of living that go against traditional values but are really a creative response to the economic and social situation that these young people confront. And the recent book "Generation on a Tightrope" (2012) looks at this generation of college students from a college administrator's perspective.
I don't mean to overwhelm you with literature, but it might help you to think about the sources of stress for young people today, which are both economic (student debt most saliently) and social (not being able to afford conforming to social conventions causes all sorts of stress, especially with parents).