When it comes to current debates in politics and policy, even a strident defense of the liberal arts – such as George Anders’s “You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Education” or Randall Stross’s “A Practical Education: Why Liberal Arts Majors Make Great Employees” – tends to accept that gainful […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Education isn’t a commodity for labor
Claremont College suspends rioters!
Across the country, our students have been trained to believe that it’s fine to use violence to prevent someone from speaking. While years ago, a riot to prevent a speaker was major news, now they’re so common that even local newspapers hardly consider it worth covering. The reason we have these riots is our schools […] … learn more→
Working with literatures? take a hands on hips stance
Hand on hips. That’s the stance to take with literatures work. Hands on hips is a metaphor. Think about times when you have put your hands on your hips, stood back and looked at something. Your gaze is not neutral and neither is your thinking. You are summing up. What does this thing in front […] … learn more→
Bland peer review needs a pinch of salt
Research funding agencies face a daunting task when deciding which proposed research project to fund. It takes a great deal of expertise to distinguish between what investor Warren Buffett once called the “three I’s”: innovators, imitators and idiots. The anonymous peer review system that has emerged as the universal and unquestioned tool for assessing research […] … learn more→
How well do students perform when retaking courses?
Ah, September is almost here. A new school year beckons, with new courses, new books and new students. Except … some of the students are not new. They are retaking courses they had previously failed, or barely passed. They may be doing that to boost their marks, qualify for advanced courses, maintain scholarships or just […] … learn more→
The UK is rethinking university degrees and Australia should too
There are growing calls for a debate about the role of post-school in society, both in Australia and overseas. After 30 years of constant expansion, some complain that universities have become too vocational in nature – too focused on jobs, not enough on the art of inquiry. At the same time, the vocational education sector […] … learn more→
Admin lies to keep conservative from campus
I know my title is unsurprising on two levels, since administration lies about everything, always, and it’s well known that conservative thinkers aren’t allowed to speak on our campuses now…but the title says so much all the same. Even if conservatism is fundamentally wrong, fundamentally flawed, the worst thing that ever happened to humanity…conservatives should […] … learn more→
Why the mental ill health of academic researchers remains a hidden problem
Students at universities are not the only ones who suffer from mental ill-health. While in recent years they have arguably received more attention, particularly in the UK, academic staff at universities and other higher education institutions require support too. In fact, the recent suicide of a professor in the US has sparked renewed discussions about supporting the mental health […] … learn more→
PhD thesis: writing it up (and the art of procrastination)
Doing background reading, undertaking leading-edge research, and analysing the results may seem like the hard part. In fact, they may well be hard, but these elements are often the aspects of research that, as a PhD student, you find easier to carry out. It’s the research process, and you must have been good at it in […] … learn more→
Universities must sell the benefits of globalisation
In this era of instant global transfer of information, accessible international travel and rapid technological advances, young people necessarily have the potential to be global citizens. Universities set themselves the aim of providing a truly international experience for their students and staff. I am a profound believer in the merits of globalisation and the moral […] … learn more→
