In arts subjects, research doesn't go into teaching at all.
The Higher Education Thread | First University with £18k pa fees to open
- Thread starter MalibuKen
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Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
It is fundamentally important for undergraduates.
It does.
That stuff wasn't financed by my University, but the University provided an environment in which I was able to do all those things in my limited free time.
Finally Frosty the lecturer turns up to talk sense. How's it going up there?
If there's a course at a University that doesn't use the research of the academics to inform the teaching, that's a truly terrible course. That's not even a University course, that's a jumped up BTec.
Busy! At the moment I am using my research to design new courses. Apparently I shouldn't.
At the end of the day, if you're teaching a book written in 1540, there is very little a researcher can do to further the course. I mean, what is there to research? It's all been done.
Because books exist in isolation without being influenced by prior works or influencing subsequent works? Because books are not set in a specific historical and linguistic context which detailed research continues to shed light on? Because new interpretations of texts never reveal improved understandings? Because there is such a thing as a university degree on a book?
I think you over-estimate the vast majority of lecturers. I genuinely don't think any of my lectures are remotely original or influenced by new found material. It's just a myth.
You aren't aware of Shakespeare Studies are you?
I know a guy who lectures in the US about Shakespeare. He continues to do research despite the fact "It's all been done." I will make sure that I bring this up if, by some mistake at the publishers, I am ever asked to review one of his papers.
"Reject. This play was written in the 16th Century. It's all been done."
"Reject. This play was written in the 16th Century. It's all been done."
Which course are you taking at UCL?
*geekchuckle*
Having spent 5 minutes looking at the staff outputs in alastair's department, I can see that the staff are both original and receptive to new materials.
You should email them and tell them to include it in their lectures.
I'm a French student. I haven't once been told something original. All the lectures are based around critical essays written by other people years previous.
That's just complete rubbish.
If the only achievement written on your CV for your 3 years at university is your degree, then you will find yourself at a major disadvantage after you graduate when it comes to looking for a job. Almost every employer will tell you just how important activity outside the academic sphere is. If that wasn't the case then going to university to get a degree would be pointless, as we could all do it from the comfort of our own homes.
I went to University to get drunk and have more sex.
Just throwing that out there.
Just throwing that out there.
Does anyone know if there's another one coming up soon?
There probably isn't going to be another one of that size regarding university funding/tuition fees, but we can expect similar ones in protest against public sector/social welfare cuts in general, which will hopefully be much bigger in size than yesterday's protest because it won't just be students/university staff taking part. Although, I don't know when they/it will happen.
We could do with a few more protests in this country.
When it was announced recently that the retirement age would be going up to 66, there was a few noisy ''tuts''. In France they put it up from 60 to 62 and they were out in their thousands marching in protest.
In this country years ago, as a protest against the price of petrol, people were blockading the petrol refineries. The price is now much higher than it was then, but we just sit back and do nothing, as a result the price of petrol seems to go up every fortnight.
When it was announced recently that the retirement age would be going up to 66, there was a few noisy ''tuts''. In France they put it up from 60 to 62 and they were out in their thousands marching in protest.
In this country years ago, as a protest against the price of petrol, people were blockading the petrol refineries. The price is now much higher than it was then, but we just sit back and do nothing, as a result the price of petrol seems to go up every fortnight.
Because we are a pragmatic nation, regarding pensions it is only fit and proper - when the pension was first introduced life expectancy would see you live for another two years or so whilst those who will be effected by the change will for the most part live 20 to 30 years more. It simply isn't sustainable for people to retire in their sixties when they live into their eighties which is why so many countries have ever increasing pension blackholes which will see the funds go bankrupt.
Regarding petrol prices, oil is not a controlled commodity - demand has boomed so much since 2000 that an additional nine million barrels of oil are being consumed a day - it is not a question of dwindling supply but being able to increase supply lines and production capacity, in six of the last ten years consumption has increased faster than capacity increasing resulting in more oil being consumed than produced. The country understands this as well - not to mention that the value of a barrel of crude oil was about $25 in 2000 compared to $85 now by way of $150.
The fact we are pragmatic is a very good thing, it means the government can remain flexible and react to changing circumstances. If France had the economic circumstances that we do they would default, because there would be no international market confidence in the French people not to completely resist such measures preventing the French government from dealing with such a crisis.
We have the best political regime in the world, we have had the same regime with the same constitutional settlement for well over 300 years, in that time stability has been constantly maintained, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, human rights and constitutionalism have all been universally entrenched. The economy has been allowed to develop, the fabric of our society has been revolutionised time and again and we have maintained our sovereignty and have remained powerful and influential. No other country in the world can claim that, our political system and our national psyche as history proves is the best there is.
Thanks for that.
What I was trying to get at, was the fact that unlike other countries, these days we seem to just roll over and accept any shite that comes our way.
Instead of standing up to things that we don't approve of, we seem quite happy to lay back and get shafted time and time again.
That's the myth. Every employer I know tells me they find it utterly tedious reading through all the extra-curricular activities that the applicant does. They don't care if you go sailing on the weekend, they care about whether you can do your job effectively. Now, if your job requires a big personality, maybe your social life matters, but 90% of the time, no-one gives a shit.
Agree. It depends to a large extent on your subject and the type of job. Interview panels for technical jobs are very interested in academic performance and ability, and often not at all interested in extra curricular accomplishments or internships.
On the issue of research, it also depends on the subject. It is fair to say that there are those disciplines, e.g. maths, which are so large that a bachelor's degree is just going to scratch the surface and not get anywhere near the level of considering current research. The maths research that gets into the present undergrad curriculum was carried out more than 50 years ago. And that's not a criticism - just the reality.
On the issue of research, it also depends on the subject. It is fair to say that there are those disciplines, e.g. maths, which are so large that a bachelor's degree is just going to scratch the surface and not get anywhere near the level of considering current research. The maths research that gets into the present undergrad curriculum was carried out more than 50 years ago. And that's not a criticism - just the reality.
It's kicking off in London again.
Hehe...er...I mean, deplorable behaviour. Bloody oiks
Five-0 have boxed them in now....There'll either be a riot or everyone will piss off quietly when they start needing a piss.
I'd say that's spot on having hired a lot of grads. I don't give a feck about your Morris dancing or basketweaving.
you haven't seen my baskets though pete
I'm so happy I didn't goto Uni. Such a waste of time and money for the majority of people.
Having a good laugh at the students crying about money though. How about you get a job instead and goto Uni in a few years when the economy has cooled down a bit? Bloody kids, they want everything for free, don't we all!
Having a good laugh at the students crying about money though. How about you get a job instead and goto Uni in a few years when the economy has cooled down a bit? Bloody kids, they want everything for free, don't we all!
As an amusing side note to the debate, I happened to be in and around westminster for the aftermath of the student protest the other week. There was a young lad walking around daubed with protest slogans about student debt whilst clutching 3 Harrods shopping bags. Unfortunately I had just put my camera away and I lost the opportunity to capture the moment!
The tit was all over the country when he was campaigning for the election, why doesn't he turn up to one of the universities and take and open Q&A session with students?
And also 'compromise', what fecking compromise? From what I can tell, the Tories have said £9,000 and the Lib Dems have said 'fine by us as partner'. It seems being in power is more important to Clegg and his buddies than standing up for the principles they campaigned for.
The Lib Dems had two red-line issues before the election: electoral reform and abolishion of tuition fees. Get rid of them and what is the party even about?
The principle of affordable education is a just one. Yes some students are twatish lay abouts who won't make economical use of their time in University (possibly even most) but it's not for them that these things are worth making a fuss about, it's for the potential doctors, scientists, lawyers etc - professions where higher education is practically essential - who would be priced out or put off if this scheme was put in practice. Even if it just affected one such person, it'd be worth trying to stop. Just because you didn't want to become a doctor doesn't mean it's all about fecking kids wanting hand outs mate.
Of course the irony here being more people are going to uni because no one can get a job until the economy 'cools down'. Lots of 30+ students at my uni, and they're generally just as outraged as the 18 year olds.
Yellow?
The referendum on voting reform (without real reform) will be easily defeated too
I am totally with the genuine students on this one.
It never fails to astonish me just how the country neglects it's youth (just like our football) in favor of sucking up (Clegg) to the bankers whose undeserved bonuses make me sick.
Let the City pay for the rise in fees...or expect a brain drain even bigger than the debt these fux navigated us in.
It never fails to astonish me just how the country neglects it's youth (just like our football) in favor of sucking up (Clegg) to the bankers whose undeserved bonuses make me sick.
Let the City pay for the rise in fees...or expect a brain drain even bigger than the debt these fux navigated us in.
A brain drain not just of students - many academics I know are packing their bags for the States or Australia, due to their continued investment in HE.
The universities we will be charging students £9,000 a year to study at will be pale imitators of their cousins abroad.
The universities we will be charging students £9,000 a year to study at will be pale imitators of their cousins abroad.