Archive for the 'Education' Category

The Point of the Arts and Humanities

via Paul Bowman, who posts a list of thinking “points” on the “point” of the Arts and Humanities:

1.      Any ‘point’ of or for the Arts and Humanities is bound up with the question of ‘the point’ of the university as such.

2.      Any answer about ‘the point’ of the university itself is bound up with the answer to the question of what kind of society we are or ought to be living in or striving to construct.

Or as Northrop Frye once argued “The ethical purpose of a liberal education is to liberate, which can only mean to make one capable of conceiving society as free, classless, and urbane. No such society exists, which is one reason why a liberal education must be deeply concerned with works of the imagination.”

For basil

…who is a Dr. now too! Congratulations!

Psychic Kettling

The Guardian – Why aren’t we supporting the students? Maybe we’ve been psychically kettled.

No one should be surprised that after six months in limbo the students should be at the forefront of resistance to this government. The Labour party does not yet resemble an opposition, rather Ed et al seem to be on a collective gap year.

The Horses #demo2010

In the continued intensification of the British police state, here is video of police on horseback charging student protest groups last week.

These are largely people concerned with the future of education. And contrary to reports that have errantly suggested that these students simply do not want to pay higher fees (which on its own is not entirely a bad goal), in fact most of these students would be unaffected by higher fees as they will have graduated by then. It is extraordinary how unfathomable it is to so many that young people actually can and do show compassion and concern for others.

Guardian coverage.

Nov 30 Day of Action #dayx2 #demo2010

Today in the United Kingdom thousands of students are marching once again to protest the unprecedented cuts to higher education proposed by the Browne Report. It is expected that more occupations will begin today, as many did after last week’s march. There’s lots of coverage out there on the webs.

LibCom

Channel 4 Live Blog

Twitter: #dayx2

Twitter: #demo2010

The Leeds Student