The Decline of the Secular University: Why the Academy Needs Religion

Published on: Apr 25, 2007

Sommerville, C. J. 2006. The Decline of the Secular University: Why the Academy Needs Religion. New York: Oxford University Press.

            The author offers a number of perspectives on the idea that secular universities are becoming increasingly marginalized in America. One such perspective is the abandonment of liberal arts training in favor of professional training programs. Another is that university faculties lean politically to the left while the rest of the country drifts closer to the right, and few academics dominate the talk shows that claim to embody public opinion. Sommerville proposes a return to critical engagement with religion and moral questions in the university (see Taylor 2006 for further discussion on this topic).