What Remains of Humboldt at Times of the Bologna Reform?

Abstract

The situation at universities after the Bologna reform can be described as a trade-off between the political aim, granting a maximum amount of education to the greatest possible number of people, and the economical aim, securing so-called “employability“ of graduates, and this in times of tighter public budgets, the abolishment of university fees in Germany, and an increasing number of students. In this paper it is argued that every kind of university-related education should include elements of educational experience that exceed those of mere professional training. This is not meant to imply that university training should not consider professional qualification—on the contrary: it is all about employability and education. In the first step the aims of Bologna shall briefly be presented. After this, Wilhelm von Humboldt’s image of science will be outlined and a short impression of his concept of education is given. In a third step, central contradictions between Bologna and Humboldt are pointed out. Finally, the question is asked if the basic objectives of Humboldt can also be important in the Bologna era.