Proof of the PhD is not in the reading
The purpose of the 21st- century doctoral degree has changed, says Alistair McCulloch. Two research students are studying for PhDs under the same supervisor. Both are preparing to submit. One asks a...
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Enough to drive you crazy
Staff at the University of Central Lancashire who forked out for an annual staff parking permit were less than happy with a recent missive from UCL transport services manager Fiona Baynton-Roberts....
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Psorry tale of psychic Psimon
The Times Higher's article last week about the study of parapsychology - psi - in UK universities certainly raised some eyebrows. Among more than 100 comments left by bloggers after The Guardian...
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Brainwave not quite Brainstorm
"The Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen may have to look to their laurels," the University of East Anglia announced this week. The university has made a bid to become "the next big thing" in the world of...
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A couple of niggling concerns
An internal survey by the Higher Education Funding Council for England is revealing. Staff are more satisfied compared with other "high-performing organisations" except in two areas: "satisfaction...
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Who you calling a thicko prole?
Even in the liberal confines of academe, there is one form of prejudice that remains alive and well, as Dr Chav knows I am a product of a white-trash family. I overcame the innate learning...
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Stop the conveyor belt, I want to get off
Academics need a new, less managerial model to develop their teaching skills, insist Jan Meyer and Ray Land. Many highly qualified and, indeed, distinguished academics feel they have gone straight to...
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All big bucks but little bang?
Contrary to the fears of many academics ("Goodbye Blue Skies?", August 10), I do not believe that using economic criteria to judge research would be a problem if the criteria were truly "economic" -...
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All big bucks but little bang?
As a lifelong Marxist, I welcome moves to allocate research funding on the basis of the economic impact of the work carried out. Since the ultimate aim of all my work is to help in the struggle to...
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All big bucks but little bang?
Although I can sympathise with Alan Jenkins ("Professor says teaching focus blocked career", August 10), I fail to see why this story is news any longer. We all now know that in a market-based...
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Knotty problem
Lee Smolin ("With string, science has tied itself in knots", August 10) takes issue with the "scientists" who have "never read a book or a paper in their speciality written earlier than ten years...
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Noise abatement
Leslie Grofton's labyrinthine defence of noise (Letters, August 10) misses the point. If nine people in a room want and make noise, and the tenth doesn't, the tenth doesn't spoil it for the nine. But...
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To boldly go...
The spaceship cartoon accompanying the piece by Michael Arthur and Deian Hopkin appealing to the Department for Children, School and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and...
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Pay review news
Charlie Owen's letter last week (August 10) suggests there is some confusion about when the next pay negotiations will be, following the current three-year deal. The full reference from the 2006-09...
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In praise of history
Penelope Corfield made a very strong case for the study of history (Opinion, July ). As Winston Churchill put it: "The further back you look, the further forward you see." The study of history should...