A.C. Grayling, Dawkins and more Launch Private University

[Coito ergo sum]

. Knowing something about economics and finance is the preserve of those on limited means who learn to micro-budget. You can see how wealth destroys the financial acuity of the wealth inheriting class when you look at the global debt crisis....not caused by the little guy but by your philisophical 'jerking it off in their head' class.

If more people learned important things like history, philosophy, literature & the arts, language, etc., rather than focusing solely on passing the Series 7 trading test or how to bean count for banks, we'd likely not be in the same fix.

History is distortation and propaganda.

History is what happened. Distort and propagandize is what some people do.

Philosophy is the verbals.

Philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.

Literature is ego and a good memory.

Literature involves writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays.

The arts are just a money pyramid.

Or the stuff of life.

Language is hardly the preserve of this crowd.

None of this stuff is the preserve of any "crowd." It's what should be available and understood by as many people as possible.

Gassing off is gassing off, no matter the context. The humanities without Brian Haw are not the 'humanities' we need right now.

None of it is about gassing off, except to people who don't know much about it.

[Atheist-Lite]

A dicer, should have realised there'd be limitations in cohesive thinking with the mention of 'philisophy'.

[Coito ergo sum]

You'll need to make sense if you're going to discuss this topic.

[Atheist-Lite]

You'll need to make sense if you're going to discuss this topic.

[Coito ergo sum]

You'll need to make sense if you're going to discuss this topic.

...anti-intellectuals...

[Svartalf]

You can't hate it for hating stuff it does not have the necessary organs, let alone the mental tools, to comprehend.

[charlou]

I heard A.C. Grayling on the radio earlier. He was saying: -

1. That there would be scholarships for outstanding students (20% of students on a scholarship initially - hopefully to rise to over 30% within a few years.)
2. That scholarships would either be full, or would bring the fees payable down to the average for state-run universities (about £7,00p.a.)
3. That entry would be based on a proven academic record (a minimum of 3 As at A level, or equivalent) and that all students applying that meet this minimum would be interviewed.
4. On his reasons for establishing this project, he said that recent, and ongoing, cuts in the higher education budget, along with a change towards funding for vocational and technological subjects, meant that humanities subjects were in decline.
5. The college will be a non-profit-making charitable organisation and funded by both fees and donations, with any surplus income being reinvested in the scholarship program.

Just thought that might interest a few.

Interesting, I thought there might be something like this - and it seems fair enough if that's the way they want to go - but personally I'd still rather see more investment in internet education freely available to everyone.

Well, it is ... up to a point ... to anyone who has access to a pc and internet. There's so much information freely available that one can find on just about any subject, from DIY creating, building and repairs of all manner of practical, aesthetic and leisure items ... to examples, reviews and discussions about all manner of arts and literature ... to philosophical ideas, discussions and debates fucking galore.

Self education is not 'formal', but it's valid and, when it comes to creativity and the humanities where independent and therefore often unique thought can be applied, it is in that regard better, IMO. If it's not already available, I'd like to see development of some form of formalised testing, recognition/accreditation for this type of learning and accumulation of knowledge and skills, for those who want it. Perhaps some investment there, too?

[Atheist-Lite]

You can't hate it for hating stuff it does not have the necessary organs, let alone the mental tools, to comprehend.

I'm not anti-intellectual just anti-money-making mindbait scams like this.

[JimC]

I agree in principle with CES. The various studies within the humanities can indeed be vital to developing a more complete understanding of the patterns of human beings in this world. No one should pretend that only science and maths have some sort of hard-edged credibility, and all the rest is vapid time-wasting.

Mind you, far too much of actual humanities studies are indeed vapid time-wasting, but that is not the point. This exercise in building a private university may well provide stimulating, valid explorations of what it is to be human for particular students, but the economic and social base on which it is constructed is full of contradictions, lies and distortions; it will never be able to see the world without the filter of class-based elitism. The "scholarship lads" will soon know their place in the scheme of things...

[HomerJay]

New research points to the dangers of fee-paying universities:

http://newsthump.com/2011/06/07/top-uni ... ic-groups/

[PsychoSerenity]

New research points to the dangers of fee-paying universities:

http://newsthump.com/2011/06/07/top-uni ... ic-groups/

Interesting, I thought there might be something like this - and it seems fair enough if that's the way they want to go - but personally I'd still rather see more investment in internet education freely available to everyone.

Well, it is ... up to a point ... to anyone who has access to a pc and internet. There's so much information freely available that one can find on just about any subject, from DIY creating, building and repairs of all manner of practical, aesthetic and leisure items ... to examples, reviews and discussions about all manner of arts and literature ... to philosophical ideas, discussions and debates fucking galore.

Self education is not 'formal', but it's valid and, when it comes to creativity and the humanities where independent and therefore often unique thought can be applied, it is in that regard better, IMO. If it's not already available, I'd like to see development of some form of formalised testing, recognition/accreditation for this type of learning and accumulation of knowledge and skills, for those who want it. Perhaps some investment there, too?

Yeah there's a hell of a lot of information, but it's all very disorganised and some of it is completely unreliable - to the extent that you'd often have to check several different sources to make sure you've got it right, which is obviously a good thing to be doing, but it does slow things down. If it were more organised however, only a small percentage of people needs to be checking the validity of the information, and the rest can get on with it trusting that the majority all want the best. This happens a bit already with rating systems and whatnot, but with it being so disconnected and relying on searches, it's rather open to confirmation bias and other problems.

And then as you say, it doesn't help get you qualifications. Once people have left formal education they very rarely go back in. There are various courses at colleges and the Open University is pretty good, but for the most part I think they only help those that are already intelligent enough and can afford to retrain - you've got to know that you're likely to pass before you risk the investment of enrolling on a course - so it can't help that much with social mobility. I hated being told, when I was at school, that the grades I got would effect the rest of my life - even though I did fairly well. But for those who have trouble at school, often as a result of their social situation, I think it's important for society to give them, and let them know that they have, every chance at any point in their lives to try again, or try something different, to change their place in life.

What I'd really like to see is improvements and investments on things like Academic Earth - which is a good start, but is still rather lacking in content. Most of the lectures don't yet come with all the reading materials or educational software that the actual students get - and if you want to go for a course for qualifications (which there are even fewer of) you have the same problems as before. But if you could have an entire virtual global university/college connected with most of the real universities and colleges around the world, and all the information for free, and directly connected to forums so the students can help teach each other on a massive scale, and student union forums, and the chance to take mock exams so you know whether or not you are ready to go for a qualification - free quality education for everyone, whenever they need it - I know of course this is just my own utopian ideas and some people wouldn't agree that it's the right way to go, but I just think there's so much more that can be done, rather than encouraging more exclusivity and elitism.

[charlou]

I hated being told, when I was at school, that the grades I got would effect the rest of my life - even though I did fairly well. But for those who have trouble at school, often as a result of their social situation, I think it's important for society to give them, and let them know that they have, every chance at any point in their lives to try again, or try something different, to change their place in life.

Yes! I think this is not emphasised enough, if at all.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

Well I think it is a kick in the teeth for all the folk who are fighting privatization of our public services in the UK. Dawkins and the rest are nothing more than elitist tossers and should be ashamed of them selves.

Of course Dawkins and the rest are not, and never would be, affected by said public service privatizations - hence they lack vital perspective on the issue.

[Santa_Claus]

The UK higher education system is really a nonsense that is ripe for reform. Built up over several hundred years to serve the interests of the providers. and fiddled with by successive Govts.

IMO probably a good idea to seperate out the "Research" function of Universities from the providers of bog standard degrees. And no reason why Students should be forced to drag things out over 3 years, working full time could easily do most courses within 18 months. or less. Call it experiance for the world of work. I'd also like Students to be able to mix and match courses / modules between Universities - advanced finger painting from Durham and counting by Fingers in Hull...........with a lot (most?) online. The Social side? well, for £5k each a year Students can hire the local scout hut. and in the daytime pretend it is for lectures and not attend. and in the evening use it to stick 4 fingers into a Lesbian bricklayer.

[Atheist-Lite]

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/80134,peo ... plications

Grayling uni faces flood of fake applications


In a protest against Professor AC Grayling's controversial 'private university', hundreds of students have pledged to deluge the staff with bogus online submissions.

The New College of the Humanities is the brainchild of the Oxford don and boasts a faculty that includes Niall Ferguson and Richard Dawkins.

It has been widely criticised this week after it was revealed the college will charge £18,000 tuition fees a year. In the past 48 hours, more than 1,500 people have joined a Facebook event urging immediate direct action.

"It's incredibly easy to apply for a place because it's outside UCAS, so it's a separate pool of applications," said Nicki Kindersley, a 25-year-old PhD student at Durham University who submitted a fake form following the Facebook link. "The idea is just to bombard them," she said. "The staff are going to get deluged with applications."

The Facebook page, created by Oxford students Rachel Elizabeth Fraser and Eloise Stonborough, urges people to "apply to the new college of humanities as if you were a rich idiot!" The blurb continues: "The application form asks how you plan on paying them £54k - tell them you plan on laying golden eggs, extorting leprechaun gold, selling the organs of small children."

(continued)

Read more: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/80134,peo ... z1Onn3IyUz