“Is studying an Arts degree a good idea in the current economic environment? Clearly some students and their parents don’t think so. Applications for 1st Arts in UCD – the largest course in the State – are down by 11% …” (more)
[Brian Mooney, Irish Times, 22 March]
“An Irish Independent article, ‘Education chief hits attitude of arts academics’, citing comments from the new head of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), has caused quite a furore amongst Irish academics, especially those already outraged by the recent revision of the Employment Control Framework (#ecf11), which imposes stringent measures by the state on hiring and firing within universities …” (more)
[The Norman Wyse Commentary, 20 March]
“… Anti-science attitudes are far from unusual amongst the Arts & Humanities fraternity, which I think is a real shame. After all, you’ll have to work very hard to find a scientist who would be prepared to stand up in front of audience and proudly announce ‘I hate art’ …” (more)
[In the Dark, 20 March]
“Academics who ‘hold their nose’ at the idea of working with industry have come under fire from the new head of the Higher Education Authority …” (more)
[John Walshe, Independent, 19 March]
“Scientist claims true fulfilment is achievable only through the humanities. the arts and humanities are ‘superior’ to science, a top cardiologist has argued. John Martin, director of University College London’s Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, has 53 patents, 20 staff and has founded a biotechnology company …” (more)
[Rebecca Attwood, Times Higher Education, 17 March]
“New RIA Report – Key Performance Indicators to Research in Arts and Humanities disciplines http://www.ria.ie/Our-Work/Policy.aspx” (tweet)
[Royal Irish Academy, 28 February]
“To study ‘the Arts’ was once an admirable occupation undertaken by poets, authors and artists of exceptionable calibre. Sadly, such respect has not endured the test of time, for modern-day Arts students have to endure being the butt of other disciplines’ jokes and try not be disillusioned by seeing the words ‘pull here for Arts degree’ scrawled on a toilet roll dispenser …” (more)
[Kate Rothwell and Sinead O’Brien, University Observer, 15 February]
“In the context of only one of the debates that has been provoked by the Con-Dem Government’s vandalism of everything we all hold dear (there urgently need to be more debates about more of the vandalism, including the scrapping of free swimming for children and the elderly, the scrapping of ‘book start’ to encourage a love of reading …)” (more)
[Cultural Studies, 12 January]
“Speak to anyone working in the humanities within academia right now and you will hear that this country is about to enter a new Dark Age. The reason lies in the coalition government’s decision to impose swingeing cuts on almost all departments …” (more)
[HT: Tom Byrne]
[Alain de Botton, BBC News Magazine, 7 January]
“Scientists must reach across the divide and speak up for campus colleagues in arts and humanities departments …” (more)
[Gregory Petsko, Nature, 22 December]
“The Conservatives, along with their consistency-free Lib Dem allies, are to preside over the greatest assault on the arts and humanities in the history of modern Britain. Lord Browne’s review paves the way to the privatisation of higher education …” (more)
[Priyamvada Gopal, Guardian, 18 October]
“… This current Report underlines the significant role that the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) play in our economy and society both directly and indirectly. It recognises that while the AHSS provide skills for specific economically important occupations and sectors, they also enhance quality of life generally and help to make Ireland an attractive place in which to live and do business …” (PDF, 7Mb)
[IRCHSS and HEA, 29 September]
“Study shows wealthiest students dominate humanities and academics fear tuition fee rises will deepen problem …” (more)
[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 26 September]
“All arts students should have compulsory training in information and communications technology, a new report recommends. It says that it is time to end the artificial divide between the humanities and sciences and it recommends that all students be educated in both …” (more)
[John Walshe, Independent, 25 September]
“… The humanities are in many ways, a study of how mankind and society have evolved. To use Michael Oakeshott’s metaphor, they are the conversation between the generations of mankind. They are subjects where there is often no right or wrong or definitive answer, with enormous scope for thinking, exercising the brain, learning how to evaluate information, how to express oneself, how to argue a point while respecting another’s point of view, empathy, tolerance, emotional intelligence …” (more)
[Dazzled & Frazzled, 8 August]
“… I want to argue, however, that the arts and human sciences, far from being luxuries to be discarded at the first sign of rain, are essential to the well-being of any society. Specifically, I believe that a real commitment to arts and humanities education is essential to the survival of a viable, pluralist democracy …” (more)
[Pádraic Conway, Sunday Business Post, 23 May]
“Labour holds a unique position in Irish society. It is indisputably Ireland’s party of the arts. What other party can boast that their Party President is a poet, film-maker and broadcaster? No better man than Michael D Higgins to exemplify the inextricable links between the arts and education …” (more)
[Phil Prendergast, Labour Party Blog, 17 April]
“A brilliant generation heard their Leaving Cert results this week after a long wait, a wet summer and that exceptional having-to-sit Higher English 2 on a Saturday morning. So 57,000 students — and their families — deserve to celebrate. Yo, class of 2009! But points had hardly been totted up before the finger-wagging began: ‘Tsk, Tsk, youse aren’t good enough at maths, let alone science. Don’t you know that Ireland is supposed to become a smart economy?’ Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe led the ritual congratulations before becoming chief finger-wagger …” (more)
[Medb Ruane, Independent, 15 August]
“Funding for research in university science departments and medical schools is being safeguarded at the expense of arts, humanities and social sciences, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) announced today. Outlining spending plans for 2009-10 to vice-chancellors, the council said research funding would be as selective as in previous years. Overall, universities will share £8bn, up 3.8% in cash terms on last year. At present, 82% of funding goes to just 29 universities, but last December’s national research assessment exercise (RAE) to judge the quality of university research revealed excellence right across the sector …” (more)
[Anthea Lipsett, Guardian, 28 January]
Ninth Level Ireland 