Powers of the Mind

Donald N. Levine is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, where he served as dean of the College from 1982 to 1987. He is the author of several books, including Visions of the Sociological Tradition, The Flight from Ambiguity, and Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture.

"Writing as scholar, teacher, and dean, Levine provides rich evidence that current debates in the world of liberal education are part of a continuing negotiation that has deep but frequently forgotten roots." - Carol Schneider, president, Association of American Colleges and Universities "A fascinating history of curricular debates at the University of Chicago, reaching back to its founding more than a century ago. It is a story of serious teachers responding to continuous change in the world and in particular academic disciplines while always keeping in view the enduring goal of liberal education, which Levine succinctly calls the 'cultivation of human powers.'" - Andrew Delbanco, New York Review of Books"