Re: end the university

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: David Boyes <dboyes () sinenomine net>
Date: April 29, 2009 11:49:42 AM EDT
To: "dave () farber net" <dave () farber net>
Subject: FW: [Politics] end the university

Another interesting item from our discussion of this article. For IP  
if you like.

-- db
------ Forwarded Message
From: Karen Dollinger <kateryndraper () yahoo com>
Reply-To: Politics <politics () lists 4th com>
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:03:51 -0400
To: <politics () lists 4th com>
Subject: Re: [Politics] end the university




I had strong - and mixed - reactions to this article.  First, I should  
explain my background.  I have a Bachelor of Philosophy in  
Interdisciplinary Studies, and a Doctorate in Spanish (specifically,  
Indigenous and Colonial Latin American Literatures and Cultures.)  I  
am currently finishing up a one year non-tenure-track position as a  
Spanish professor of undergrads at a public university, and looking  
for work, so far unsuccessfully.

I disagree with Taylor's central premise that the university as we  
know it should be ended.  The purpose of education is not to produce a  
product (job candidates), but to expand our minds, learn how to think,  
function in a democracy, understand our world, serve society, and many  
other things I've forgotten. Education should be (and frequently is)  
valued by an employer because a graduate theoretically is better  
equipped to think originally and to solve problems.

I also disagree that departments foster "limited knowledge that all  
too often is irrelevant for genuinely important problems."  The topic  
for my dissertation, the Mexican Inquisition (specifically looking at  
its influence on several Mexican authors from the 16th and 17th  
century), is certainly obscure.  However, the Inquisition is  
frequently invoked in the American Neo-Pagan community, usually  
incorrectly.  Non-pagans would be surprised just how important the  
trope of the Inquisition as demon is to modern Neo-Pagans.   
Unfortunately, the Inquisition is not properly understood, and creates  
real-world problems in a 21st century religious movement.  I can go  
into more detail if anyone wishes, but it's outside the scope of this  
post.

And that's just one example.  Another - Nahuatl (Aztec) is an obscure  
language.  One would think it's not important.  Yet a California  
warden posted a request to an academic Nahuatl listserv for  
translators.  While many American guards speak Spanish, gang members  
from Mexico are frequently bilingual in Spanish and Nahuatl, and use  
the latter to communicate in prison.

Notice both these examples come from an obscure subcategory (16th  
century Mexican language and literature) in a non-profitable  
discipline (Spanish.)  And yet this sort of thing occurs in most  
subcategories in all disciplines, even the non-business disciplines.

Taylor is dead-on about the use the graduate teaching associates.  Now  
I do think it's very important to let graduate students teach - one  
learns to teach by doing.  But there is a move in universities to  
eliminate full-time teachers, and rely on cheap graduate labor and  
large numbers of part-time adjuncts who would not qualify for health  
insurance.  That's the problem I face now in my job search.   
Universities are only hiring adjuncts.

Unlike Taylor, I support departments operating independently.  It's  
one way to ensure academic freedom and intellectual honesty.  If  
universities were to go to a Wall Street model, as Taylor advocates,  
the business-minded president as CEO would be able to dictate what  
could and could not be taught.

Interdisciplinary studies are near and dear to my heart.  More should  
be done to encourage this.  I'd love to see an interdisciplinary  
program or department at every university.

On the other hand, interdisciplinary implies multiple disciplines.   
Taylor's suggestion to abolish departments makes no sense.  There's  
nothing wrong with having courses built around interdisciplinary zones  
of inquiry; it should be encouraged.  But that shouldn't be the only  
sort of education going on.

I do agree that there should be increased collaboration among  
institutions.  But as a luddite, I'm not convinced that foreign  
languages, to use Taylor's example, can be effectively taught through  
the Internet. That could just be me, though.

Taylor's proposal to transform the dissertation is intriguing.  On the  
one hand, working on a dissertation honed both my writing and editing  
skills, and led me to learn a lot more about the Inquisition and  
Mexican ideological debates than I would have otherwise.  On the other  
hand, there might well have been a way to channel my work to better  
help people.

Taylor is right when he talks about expanding the range of  
professional options for graduate students.  We are mostly prepared to  
be professors, and there are more graduates than there are teaching  
jobs.  I seem to recall one unit in one course that dealt with non- 
academic jobs for PhDs.  Universities can do much better with career  
placement.

Tenure, however, needs to stay.  Right now, the only college  
instructors whose health benefits are safe are tenured professors.  If  
tenure goes, teaching could easily become a part-time profession.   
Tenure also protects researchers who champion unpopular or  
"unpatriotic" views.

I could go on, but need to get to bed so I can teach class  
tomorrow.  :-)

Karen







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