The zeitgeist of the post-World War I industrialized modern society was one of the primary social forces that helped shape curriculum in this time period. This new and modern world pressured institutions to respond to the demands of constituents, thereby shaping curriculum both implicitly and explicitly. In the papers that follow, the common thread in the tapestry is the dialectical opposition between social change and higher education. A major component in all three statements is the question, how will the university balance constituent demands and yet remain institutionally faithful?
Mr. Chris Kuhl avers that in light of the evolution controversy, Samuel Palmer Brooks’ mediation gives insights on how the internal and external constituents were a primary force that perpetuated a dialectical opposition that helped shape the curricular trajectory of Baylor University. Ms. Cassandra Thompson contends that the creation of the School of Commerce and Business not only met the demands and desires of current students, but fulfilled the university’s desire to be on par with the top institutions in the nation. Ms. Gabriela Olaguibel follows the significant growth and changes the Spanish Department and its curriculum underwent and shows how this occured as a result of societal demand of this decade: increased demand for modern languages and decreased popularity of classical languages.
In these three historical narratives of curriculum, the changes in society of this decade, reflected in student demand, are emulated in the development of the corresponding curriculum and the direction each took at Baylor University.
Growth of Spanish Department at Baylor: Boom in Decade 1920-1930 (by Gabriela Olaguibel)
Caught in the Middle: Evolution as the Stimulus for Evaluating Samuel Palmer Brooks’ Correspondence and Media Presence in the Midst of Controversy
(by Chris Kuhl)
The Wave of the Future: The Baylor School of Commerce and Business
(by Cassandra Thompson)