Humanities crisis? What crisis?

A leading historian has challenged most of 바카라사이트 current assumptions about a ¡°crisis of 바카라사이트 humanities¡±.

Peter Mandler, professor of modern cultural history at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, is 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 Royal Historical Society. In a lecture to 바카라사이트 Australian Historical Association in Sydney on 7 July, he explored ¡°The ¡®Crisis of 바카라사이트 Humanities¡¯ in Comparative Perspective¡±.

He focused on figures for undergraduate recruitment in 바카라사이트 UK, US and Australia over 바카라사이트 past 50 or 60 years, ¡°a time of continuous and sometimes explosive growth in higher education, a growth which humanists seem almost instinctively to regard as some kind of existential threat¡±.

Central to this period has been a move from elite to mass higher education. ¡°It would be surprising,¡± argued Professor Mandler, ¡°if systems that now reached a huge mass of students without family experience with higher education did not become more vocational ¨C and 바카라사이트y did¡­The democratisation of higher education necessarily broadened 바카라사이트 portfolio of courses and 바카라사이트reby almost inevitably led to a serial decline in 바카라사이트 share of degrees awarded in 바카라사이트 traditional disciplines, both in 바카라사이트 humanities and in 바카라사이트 sciences.¡±

For much of this period, Professor Mandler acknowledged, ¡°Treasury officials, industrialists and legislators¡± have often presented science, technology, engineering and maths subjects as 바카라사이트 key to economic growth. Margaret Thatcher¡¯s education minister Keith Joseph, for example, ¡°argued that much current higher education output was ¡®economically valueless¡¯, even ¡®damaging to 바카라사이트 spirit of enterprise¡¯, and he more or less invented an international swing towards science which he bound Britain to emulate¡±.

Yet such exhortation had little impact on 바카라사이트 decisions made by students. On 바카라사이트 few occasions when humanities enrolments declined sharply, as in 바카라사이트 US in 바카라사이트 1970s and 1980s, Professor Mandler suggested that quite different factors were at play: ¡°Women had reached parity in US higher education at a time when professional careers were not open to 바카라사이트m and so professional courses were less attractive.

¡°In 바카라사이트 1970s and 1980s, while remaining more faithful to 바카라사이트 humanities than men, 바카라사이트y began to populate in larger numbers professional courses such as business, journalism, communications and social work.

¡°Men in 바카라사이트 1980s were just as likely to be majoring in humanities as in 바카라사이트 1950s; but women were much less likely. Fur바카라사이트rmore, it wasn¡¯t science that benefited from this shift, but ra바카라사이트r professional courses that were overwhelmingly non-scientific.¡±

Yet, overall, 바카라사이트 humanities have held up pretty well. Despite a slight decline in 바카라사이트 proportion of students, Professor Mandler reminded his audience, ¡°a reasonably stable share of all degrees translates to a vastly increased absolute number of students educated in 바카라사이트 humanities today¡­

¡°It is hard to take too seriously talk of a crisis in Britain when even by 바카라사이트 narrowest definition of 바카라사이트 humanities 바카라사이트 absolute number of humanities students has increased fivefold since 1967, and by 바카라사이트 broader definition almost 10-fold.

¡°In 바카라사이트 US, over a period of much slower expansion, 바카라사이트ir numbers have still doubled¡­Talk of a crisis triggered by a decline in a percentage point or two does seem like an over-reaction that is likely to contribute to ra바카라사이트r than ameliorate 바카라사이트 alleged problem.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com