Learning, when you are not learning: Artistic, scientific, professional, and political culture at Leading Universities in Britain, France, USA, and China

Abstract

The world of academia pays considerable attention to the rankings of institutions. These rankings are predominantly based on research and, to some extent, quantifiable elements of teaching. The authors of this paper have benefitted from the privilege of studying at highly ranked and selective institutions or communities: University of Cambridge, Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, Harvard University and Tsinghua University (which we refer to as leading institutions here).