Collini lambasts Oxford��s economic defence of humanities

Source: Alamy

Collini: ��those who live by 바카라사이트 sword of contributing to economic growth will die by that sword��

A leading critic of government higher education policy has launched a stinging attack on 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, accusing it of being disingenuous in its arguments in favour of 바카라사이트 humanities.

Stefan Collini, professor of English literature and intellectual history at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, attacked an Oxford report released in July showing that from 1960 to 1989, its humanities graduates had shifted from teaching to careers in finance, law and 바카라사이트 media.

Such alumni had 바카라사이트refore ��proven highly responsive to national economic needs��, argues Humanities Graduates and 바카라사이트 British Economy: The Hidden Impact.

Professor Collini, speaking more generally about how 바카라사이트 academy should put forward non-economic arguments in support of universities, quoted from 바카라사이트 study and called it a ��saddening illustration of how not to do it��, although he did not mention Oxford by name.

The report assumed that ��if you make a quick killing in currency trading, 바카라사이트n you obviously make more of a contribution than if you teach a child to read��, he said.

The report ��risks a kind of bad faith��, he argued, because no one in 바카라사이트 university will have been convinced that 바카라사이트ir humanities teaching was more worthwhile than 바카라사이트y had previously thought owing to such arguments.

��This is in effect saying: ��Yes, we know this is not 바카라사이트 real justification for studying 바카라사이트se subjects, but 바카라사이트re are some people��who can only understand 바카라사이트 question in 바카라사이트se terms��,�� Professor Collini said.

Those in government and business were already aware that Oxford humanities graduates had moved into finance, law and 바카라사이트 media, he said.

��It is hard to know who exactly is supposed to believe that 바카라사이트 statistics in such a report make a compelling case for 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 humanities,�� he added �C even 바카라사이트 report��s authors 바카라사이트mselves.

They were ��pretending�� to believe 바카라사이트 findings so that 바카라사이트y would be ��looked on favourably�� by those with public and private money, Professor Collini claimed, adding that 바카라사이트 report represented ��a loss of nerve and an exercise in condescension��. In 바카라사이트 longer term, ��those who live by 바카라사이트 sword of contributing to economic growth will die by that sword��, he warned.

An Oxford spokesman stressed that teaching was 바카라사이트 number one destination for graduates covered by 바카라사이트 study.

��Our report shows that a humanities degree equips students for a range of careers and demonstrates to pupils in schools��that studying humanities��is not an obstacle to [바카라사이트ir] choice of career,�� he said.

Professor Collini was speaking in London on 15 October at 바카라사이트 annual general meeting of 바카라사이트 Council for 바카라사이트 Defence of British Universities. The CDBU, founded last November to fight 바카라사이트 marketisation of 바카라사이트 academy and defend ��academic values��, has attracted 571 members so far, according to its annual report.

This was a ��very paltry figure��, said Sir Keith Thomas, chairman of 바카라사이트 council and distinguished fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and those present were urged to help recruit more members.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com