Higher Education and Belief Systems in the Asia Pacific Region

Alexander Jun, PhD, is a TED speaker and the author of From Here to University: Access, Mobility, and Resilience Among Urban Latino Youth (Routledge Press, 2001). He has published extensively on issues of postsecondary access for historically underrepresented students in underserved areas, and recently completed a three-year narrative inquiry research project on the educational mobility and academic resilience of Khmer orphans, which he is currently completing a book on. Jun is pursuing research on issues concerning higher education globalization in the Pacific Rim, and while studying at the University of Southern California, he earned a Ford Foundation fellowship to conduct research on college preparation programs for urban youth. Jun teaches courses on diversity and social justice in higher education, comparative higher education, and qualitative research methods, and joined Azusa Pacific University after serving for 15 years as a faculty member and administrator at the University of Southern California. Christopher S. Collins, PhD is an associate professor of higher education at Azusa Pacific University.  He holds a PhD in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is currently exploring the function of higher education in diverse contexts.  He has recently edited several volumes on higher education in the Asia-Pacific region, including “Higher education access in the Asia Pacific: Privilege or human right?” and “University-community engagement in the Asia Pacific: Public benefits beyond individual degrees” (both published by Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).

• 1 Introduction to belief systems in higher education.- Section 1 The Changing Role of Religion in Higher Education.- 2 The shaping of academic culture of higher education in Taiwan: Confucianism, historic legacy, and western influences.- 3 Towards sustainable Islamic communities in Malaysia: The role of Islamic based higher education institutions (IHEIs).- 4 Christian higher education in Korea: Exploring historical roles, regular Christian curricular and non-regular mentoring programs.- 5 Christian universities in Japan.- Section 2 Belief Systems in Asian Higher Education.- 6 Thai higher education and an epistemological theory of Attasammāpaṇidhi.- 7 A critical analysis of belief education in Chinese higher education.- 8 Reinventing and promoting traditional cultures and values in Bali: A critical review of the government role in education and cultural exchange.- Section 3 Diffusion of Asian Value Scapes in the Global North.- 9 Reimagining for our children: Native Hawaiian relationality in higher education.- 10 Encounters with belief in the global city: Urban Humanities filmmaking pedagogy from Los Angeles to Shanghai.- 11 Spirituality and emancipatory struggle in higher education.- 12 Philosophy, culture, and the battle against mission drift in higher education in Asia.

“With the analysis, critique, and discussion residing primarily at the historical and philosophical dimensions, this volume is recommended for those in positions of higher education leadership—given their capacity to maintain culture and context specificity in the face of ‘educational imperialism’ … .” (Daniel Low, International Journal of Christianity & Education, Vol. 25 (2), 2021)