“Moral panic”: this was the expression used 50 years ago by the sociologist Stanley Cohen when observing the disproportionate coverage by the British media of some fights that took place on the beaches between young people of the counter-culture of the 1960s , rockers and mods. In his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (never translated into French), the […] … learn more→

I always feel the need for more information, at the same time as feeling completely overwhelmed by what I already have. What I’m describing is a weird (highly privileged of course), 21st century form of anxiety… But perhaps you can relate? Certainly, a lot of people wrote to me after my most recent post on […] … learn more→

The past couple of weeks have seen wall to wall coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s death. Many media outlets took to eulogizing the Queen with effusive praise of her service and duty. But not everyone saw her and the insitution she headed in the same light. Many took to social media to discuss the Queen’s role in Britain’s imperial project, […] … learn more→

South Africa’s government has ambitious plans for doctoral education. The country aims to increase its output to 5,000 doctorates annually by 2030. In 2013, the figure stood at 2,051; by 2019 it was up to 3,445. It also wants 75% of all academics employed at universities to hold a PhD by 2030. In 2019, that figure was just 46%. […] … learn more→

Universities pride themselves on their founding stories. These stories, however, tend to privilege dominant institutional narratives and reproduce settler memories — and erase institutional participation in the dispossession of Indigenous Peoples from their lands. In our preliminary research on Indigenous presence at Western University with Sally Kewayosh, a filmmaker and instructor with the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, we find […] … learn more→

If it is not lacking in irony, the invitation launched in April 2022 by the Chinese president to the universities of his country to leave, almost 20 years after its invention, the Shanghai ranking may constitute a pivotal moment to promote d Other Models for Ranking Higher Education Institutions. The European Union seems particularly well equipped to […] … learn more→

As we witness the reversal of women’s rights worldwide, it’s clear that women cannot become complacent about protecting their civil liberties. According to the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda, the world is not on track for meeting its goal of gender equality for women by 2030. Although Canada has committed to gender equality, there is still an ongoing struggle for women […] … learn more→

We all remember the emotion (not always positive) that ran through the classroom the day they “gave us the note” of a specific test or exam. Especially in the primary stage (it is in these first courses where students face this numerical qualification process), “getting” a 5 or an 8 or the subtle differences between a […] … learn more→

Imagine you have years-worth of research and it is dismissed by a 15-word rejection letter from a journal editor. That has happened to us. Or peer reviewers write demeaning, anonymous commentary about your work. That has also happened to us. Or student evaluations critique your appearance or the way you speak. Yes, that’s also happened to us. Academics also […] … learn more→

Whatever the country, the academic year generally begins with a time dedicated to informing newly enrolled students. A welcome period to which French establishments are increasingly attentive to help each student get off to a good start and fight against dropping out, while only 29.6% of baccalaureate holders entering the first year validate a license in three years […] … learn more→