Erosion of the University Nomos as a Factor Changing the Normative Order

Abstract

University education is stereotypically associated with the internalization of a set of cultural norms – rules of behavior, folkways, mores, etc. All these norms and rules constitute the university nomos that erodes deeply in recent times, especially in the social sciences fields of study. This erosion consists of phenomena and processes of anomic character. Their reasons lie in a broader social, cultural and political context in which the contemporary university works. And these anomic phenomena and processes impact secondarily on different spheres of social life – because of mass access to the studies and mass supply of graduates – in effect increasing anomie in society as a whole. In the article some theses on the anomic contexts of university teaching, learning and assessment are presented, also in confrontation with the students’ opinions collected in a survey.