The Shape of the River

Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions Twentieth Anniversary Edition

William G. Bowen, Derek Bok

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9780691182483
• eBook ISBN:
  9780691184227
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Educational Policy

The landmark New York Times bestseller that demonstrates the benefits of race-conscious admissions in higher education

First published in 1998, William Bowen and Derek Bok’s The Shape of the River became an immediate landmark in the debate over affirmative action in America. It grounded a contentious subject in concrete data at a time when arguments surrounding it were characterized more by emotion than evidence—and it made a forceful case that race-conscious admissions were successfully helping to promote equal opportunity. Today, the issue of affirmative action remains unsettled. Much has changed, but The Shape of the River continues to present the most compelling data available about the effects of affirmative action. Now with a new foreword by Nicholas Lemann and an afterword by Derek Bok, The Shape of the River is an essential text for anyone seeking to understand race-conscious admissions in higher education.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Historical Context
• Chapter 2. The Admissions Process and "Race-Neutrality"
• Chapter 3. Academic Outcomes
• Chapter 4. Advanced Study: Graduate and Professional Degrees
• Chapter 5. Employment, Earnings, and Job Satisfaction
• Chapter 6. Civic Participation and Satisfaction with Life
• Chapter 7. Looking Back: Views of College
• Chapter 8. Diversity: Perceptions and Realities
• Chapter 9. Informing the Debate
• Chapter 10. Summing Up
• Afterword
• Appendix A. The College and Beyond Database
• Appendix B. Notes on Methodology
• Appendix C. Earnings in Relation to Advanced Degrees, Sector of Employment, and Occupation
• Appendix D. Additional Tables
• References
• Index