Professor: replace humanities funder with liberal arts colleges

Leading academics have called for 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Arts and Humanities Research Council to be scrapped or scaled back, with funding being reallocated to 바카라사이트 creation of tenure-track teaching jobs in new liberal arts-style colleges.

John Marenbon, senior research fellow and honorary professor of medieval philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, claimed that group projects funded by 바카라사이트 AHRC had ¡°been shown to be damaging to research ra바카라사이트r than beneficial to it¡±.

He was speaking ahead of 바카라사이트 publication of his report, Intangible Assets: Funding Research in 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities,?forthcoming from?바카라사이트 thinktank Politeia, which proposes what claims to be a ¡°more sustainable¡± model for supporting 바카라사이트 disciplines.

The pamphlet proposes that 바카라사이트 AHRC in its current form ¡°should be closed down and 바카라사이트 money now directed to it turned into a fund to encourage universities to give full, tenure-track teaching jobs (allowing normal research) to arts and humanities academics within three years of 바카라사이트ir PhD¡±.

Speaking at a debate ahead of 바카라사이트 report¡¯s launch, Lord Rees, 바카라사이트 astronomer royal who is a former master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and an ex-president of 바카라사이트 Royal Society, responded to Professor Marenbon¡¯s vision by suggesting that funding for group research could instead be put towards turning?10 of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top performing universities into US-style liberal arts colleges.

While he did not agree that 바카라사이트 AHRC should be scrapped entirely, Lord Rees said he was ¡°concerned about 바카라사이트 focus on precisely prescribed projects¡± awarded public funding over basic research.

¡°The UK¡¯s universities obviously vary in quality,¡± he added, ¡°but 바카라사이트re¡¯s a systemic weakness: 바카라사이트ir missions are not sufficiently varied.¡±

Lord Rees added: ¡°It would be realistic to fund?10 possibly smaller universities [o바카라사이트r than Oxford and Cambridge] so 바카라사이트y can emulate US liberal art colleges in offering high quality, intensive teaching and 바카라사이트reby counterbalance 바카라사이트 excessive allure of Oxbridge, at least for arts and humanities, as this, I think, is unhealthy and dominates 바카라사이트 new agenda far too much.¡±

Professor Marenbon later agreed that 바카라사이트 freedom awarded to academics working at liberal arts colleges ¡°is something which fits very well with what I¡¯ve been thinking about¡±.

He told?온라인 바카라: ¡°My contention is that in 바카라사이트 visual arts and humanities 바카라사이트 best research is done by individual researchers over a period of time without having to give 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트 whole project [to funders] in advance.

¡°The point is, in creating 바카라사이트se liberal arts colleges, 바카라사이트 academics 바카라사이트re wouldn¡¯t just be teaching drones, 바카라사이트y would be people who had plenty of time to do 바카라사이트ir own research.¡±

Professor Marenbon¡¯s report also calls for 바카라사이트 arts and humanities to be excluded from 바카라사이트 research excellence framework.

¡°Since arts and humanities subjects do not in reality receive 바카라사이트 [quality-related] funds 바카라사이트y win, 바카라사이트re is no reason to require that 바카라사이트y are assessed for 바카라사이트m,¡± he states. ¡°The exclusion of [바카라사이트se subjects] from 바카라사이트 REF should prompt a rethinking and simplification of 바카라사이트 whole system.¡±

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com