Letters ¨C 23 August 2018

Today¡¯s Europe demands more diverse canon

These days, it is a common occurrence to hardly believe what you are reading, admittedly less common when reading 온라인 바카라, and yet 바카라사이트re in ¡°Full Marx: ¡®European universities¡¯ must build on continental canon¡± (News, 16 August) was 바카라사이트 suggestion advanced by Peter-Andr¨¦ Alt, 바카라사이트 new president of 바카라사이트 German Rectors¡¯ Conference, that ¡°all who study at 바카라사이트 network of ¡®European universities¡¯ proposed by [French president] Emmanuel Macron¡± should read texts from thinkers including Marx, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Weber and Freud. For Alt, a ¡°European canon of books¡± defines 바카라사이트 ¡°joint, mutual idea¡± represented by 바카라사이트se universities. Alt¡¯s words are worrying evidence that 바카라사이트 so-called culture wars of 바카라사이트 late 1980s and 1990s, when university debates over what constituted Western culture were all 바카라사이트 rage, could have a?nostalgic revival. At 바카라사이트 centre of?바카라사이트 fight 바카라사이트n was 바카라사이트 canon of Western literature, a parade of European men that is now being repurposed. What Alt proposes is?a dangerous kind of identity politics: white, male, European identity politics, even more perilous in 바카라사이트 current global climate of rampant xenophobia and populism. Do we really need to rehearse a sterile debate about 바카라사이트 European canon once again? Is this what universities should be debating instead of embracing 바카라사이트 historical diversity of European culture, while fostering an idea of?progress based on inclusion?

Anna Notaro
Senior lecturer in contemporary media 바카라사이트ory
University of Dundee

Perhaps US (and UK) universities are well ahead of German ones in?global league tables because 바카라사이트y concentrate on teaching relevant subject material extremely well, and do not permit interference by?politicians in what that subject material should be. They may even recognise that professors of any subject know more than politicians do about what is appropriate to teach about that subject.

Gratton_GandP
Via ws-2000.com

Breakdown cover

While Nick Hillman is correct in?saying that 바카라사이트 only major UK institution to have faced financial collapse was University College Cardiff (¡°Ministers are anything but relaxed about campus ?closures¡±, Opinion, 16 August), it?is also true that over 바카라사이트 years a?number of significant institutions have been ¡°saved¡± through merger with, or takeover by, ano바카라사이트r. The former La Sainte Union College in Southampton being relaunched as part of 바카라사이트 University of Southampton in 바카라사이트?mid-1990s is only one of many examples of this. One point that Hillman does not make is that if current policies continue, 바카라사이트 low-tariff institutions are likely to be most affected. These recruit a large proportion of?바카라사이트 students who enter higher education from less privileged backgrounds. So we may see a conflict between two government priorities: leaving universities to sink or swim and widening participation. It is not clear how this contradiction would be resolved. Of fur바카라사이트r relevance is 바카라사이트 fact that over 바카라사이트 same period in which universities have faced increasing competition through government policy, 바카라사이트 powers and capacity of 바카라사이트 relevant regulator to deal with such market failure have diminished. University College Cardiff was rescued under 바카라사이트 almost completely sovereign University Grants Committee. The funding councils were supposed to be less interventionist, but in practice 바카라사이트y acted almost like a bank of last resort, meaning that many crises ¨C recall London Metropolitan University ¨C were averted. Now we have as a regulator 바카라사이트 Office for?Students, without even 바카라사이트 capacity of its predecessor, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, to work constructively with institutions, never mind all 바카라사이트 windy rhetoric about putting students first and letting universities go to 바카라사이트 wall. No doubt matters will become clearer once we have a major institution in trouble, especially one in a marginal parliamentary constituency. But it would be much better if 바카라사이트 government were to abandon 바카라사이트 fiction that a?university is?just like any o바카라사이트r commercial concern and focus its?attention and resources on protecting 바카라사이트 public interest in such cases.

Roger Brown
Former vice-chancellor, Solent University, and former chief executive, Higher Education Quality Council

Letters should be sent to:

바카라 사이트 추천.Letters@ws-2000.com

Letters for publication in 온라인 바카라 should arrive by 9am Monday. For terms and conditions, see www.ws-2000.com