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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Four decades of Universities of the Third Age
— past, present, future | | Author(s) | Marvin Formosa |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 34, no 1, January 2014 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, January 2014 |
| Pages | pp 42-66 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | U3A ; Adult Education ; Learning capacity ; Histories. |
| Annotation | This paper discusses the origins and development of Universities of the Third Age (U3As) whilst also suggesting possible roles, opportunities and directions for their future. The U3A has been rightly described as both an idea and a movement, as each centre has a local foundation and relatively unique features. Whilst some U3As are attached to traditional universities and colleges, others are sturdily autonomous and wholly dependent on the efforts of volunteers. Their ethos ranges from the provision of a traditional type of liberal arts education, to the organisation of interest group activities conducted through peer learning, to showing solidarity with vulnerable sectors of the older population. Academic commentaries on the U3A movement have been both supportive and critical. Whilst U3As have been lauded for leading older learners to improved levels of physical, cognitive, social and psychological well-being, other reports emphasise how many centres incorporate strong gender, social class, ageist and ethnic biases. It is hoped that the U3A movement will continue to be relevant to future cohorts of older adults by embracing a broader vision of learning, improving the quality of learning, instruction and curricula, as well as encouraging wider participation that caters for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive challenges. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-150505003 A |
| Classmark | V5A: GP: DE: 6A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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