A century ago, historian Henry Adams famously lamented that his elite education had utterly failed to prepare him for the rapidly industrializing world of the early 20th century. He felt adrift in a sea of technological change, ill-equipped by the classical and religious studies he’d received. Adams’s critique, penned nearly 120 years ago, echoes with unsettling relevance today.
The landscape of education is being reshaped not just by revolutionary technologies like AI, but also by ideological clashes within the US itself. The federal government is simultaneously slashing funding for universities while demanding greater control over curriculum and admissions. This creates a toxic environment where traditional institutions struggle to adapt to the needs of a rapidly evolving world. Yet, instead of disappearing altogether, education is finding new pathways – ones that bypass the increasingly fraught terrain of traditional academia.
Consider Karen Attiah, an experienced journalist and international affairs professor who taught at Columbia University until this year. In 2024, she was abruptly dismissed by both Columbia and The Washington Post over social media posts critical of racism and right-wing activism. Rather than retreat from teaching, Attiah pivoted, transforming her canceled Columbia course into “Resistance Summer School,” a livestream accessible to anyone willing to pay a tuition fee. The response was explosive: within 48 hours, 500 students enrolled, with a waitlist stretching far beyond. Now, Attiah offers two courses this fall – a testament to the hunger for education that thrives outside established systems.
Attiah’s approach, while unorthodox, mirrors those of educators who’ve long sought to democratize knowledge. Her class evokes a sense of returning to the fundamentals, reminiscent of university lectures from decades past.
Abigail Thorn, the philosopher behind the popular YouTube channel “Philosophy Tube,” embodies this spirit as well. Her videos – peppered with witty scripting, costumes, and creative effects – deliver complex philosophical concepts in an engaging, accessible manner. Like Attiah, Thorn strives to make learning publicly available, questioning authority without academic constraints.
These educators are following in the footsteps of Stuart Hall, a cultural studies scholar who challenged the boundaries of academia in the 1960s and ’70s. He believed education should break free from ivory towers and engage directly with the public. His BBC documentary “It Ain’t Half-Racist, Mum” tackled racial bias in media portrayals of Black immigrants – a groundbreaking approach for its time.
This trend transcends individual efforts. Globally, hacker and maker spaces – community centers dedicated to hands-on learning about science and engineering – are proliferating. These spaces offer diverse courses ranging from electronics to 3D printing, welding, and more. They cater to learners who crave interactive, applied knowledge rather than traditional lecture formats.
As Adams warned over a century ago, education must anticipate the future, equipping us with relevant skills and understanding for what lies ahead. In this rapidly shifting world, academic freedom might well find its truest expression outside of traditional institutions. The crisis facing universities is undeniable, yet the core mission of education – to explore, understand, and empower – seems poised to endure, evolving through innovative approaches like Attiah’s “Resistance Summer School” and Thorn’s engaging YouTube lectures.
By embracing these alternative pathways, we may be witnessing not an end to education, but rather a bold reinvention for the 21st century. The future of learning might very well lie outside the hallowed halls of academia, in the dynamic spaces where intellectual curiosity thrives without institutional barriers.
