“Today I got a date with my jury. So. Well. Pretty excited about it” I announced my impeding PhD thesis defence to a friend with these words. And yet, the feeling was much more complex than just excitement. It was difficult to find the right words to express the intricate mix of fear, excitement, […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Leaving the Valley of Shit
Writing the thesis – the theoretical framework
Not every thesis has a section or chapter devoted to a theoretical framework. But a lot do. (It’s the Ph in PhD after all.) And these ‘theory chapters’ can be very tricky to write – and are often tricky for the examiner to read. Before starting to write your theory section/chapter it can be good […] … learn more→
The UK cannot compete in the digital age without top universities
Despite the UK’s desire to remain a world leader in technology post-Brexit, there is some uncertainty about how it will achieve this aim. Questions abound as to whether conditions are right for the UK to steal a march on the US and Asia, notably in groundbreaking areas of innovation such as artificial intelligence. However, some […] … learn more→
An academic journal converges to leftism
It’s no secret that some of our institutions of higher education have been taken over by, well, it’s hard to say what to call them. Much like the walking corpses on The Walking Dead, it seems every group has a different name for them. Bolsheviks, Leftists, Progressives, Bai Zuo…many choices. My own personal choice is […] … learn more→
Molesting Doctor causes President to resign
2017 was the year of the publicized sex scandal. Granted, the phrase “casting couch” didn’t come from nowhere, it’s been long known that in Hollywood an actress might well have to advance her career on a couch. Other “obvious” places where sexual shenanigans occurred didn’t seem to get nearly as much attention. Perhaps I […] … learn more→
Higher education: what is it good for?
Why go to university? When asked, today’s students are openly careerist and materialist. In a 2012 survey by the Higher Education Research Institute in Los Angeles, almost 90 per cent held that “being able to get a better job” was a “very important” or “essential” reason to go to college. The rationales of being “very […] … learn more→
Elitism is alive and well in most UK universities
Recent Ucas statistics revealed the country’s class system is still hard at work and as active as ever in more than half of our universities. Figures analysed by Times Higher Education (“Most privileged outnumber least advantaged 2:1 at most UK HEIs”, 25 January) showed that, at 70 universities, students from the most advantaged areas were […] … learn more→
Is your PhD like a kaleidoscope?
All those excellent “How to do a PhD” books provide a linear progression from start to finish. They seem to encompass all the intricacies along the way, but ultimately serve as a sort of telescope that draws your vision towards a clear and cohesive end point where your research question is answered neatly, you wear […] … learn more→
Are too many graduates getting good degrees?
More than a quarter of UK graduates received a first-class degree, and nearly half received an upper second-class award in 2016-2017. This means 75% of graduates gained “good degrees” – up from 60% ten years ago. Repeated media outcry and government condemnation over this upward drift, continues to fuel debates over the robustness of the current degree classification system […] … learn more→
No, university is not a waste of time and money
In Australian public discussion recently, the idea that current university arrangements fulfil a truly valid role for students has been challenged. During the 1960s, the challenge from social critics was universities merely “credentialised” the pretensions of the elite, to validate their claims to positions and occupations of privilege on meritocratic grounds. The extension of the modern […] … learn more→
