Higher education in a changing civilization – selected issues

Abstract

A change – overwhelming, permanent, intensive and showing a certain extent of dichotomy – may be recognised as a determining feature of the 21st century. The rapidly occurring transformations have been stamping their imprints on all elements forming the current reality. The study presents the author’s reflections on the character and results of civilisation-related changes observed within one of the elements, namely the tertiary education system. drawing on e.g. her own research, the author concentrates on the attempt to redefine the academic reality in the light of neoliberalism and against the background of the new phenomena resulting from it, i.e. precarization, precarity trap, failure and outsiders in the labour market as well as the social responsibility of tertiary schools.