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A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog. We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
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The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
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Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? Fri Jul 26, 2024 17:00 | Toby Young
A new edition of the Equal Treatment Bench Book instructs judges to avoid terms such as 'asylum seekers', 'immigrant' and 'gays', which it says can be 'dehumanising'.
The post Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Intersectional Feminist Rewriting the National Curriculum Fri Jul 26, 2024 15:00 | Toby Young
Labour has appointed Becky Francis, an intersectional feminist, to rewrite the national curriculum, which it will then force all schools to teach. Prepare for even more woke claptrap to be shoehorned into the classroom.
The post The Intersectional Feminist Rewriting the National Curriculum appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech Fri Jul 26, 2024 13:03 | Toby Young
The Government has just announced it intends to block the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, effectively declaring war on free speech. It's time to join the Free Speech Union and fight back.
The post Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Ei... Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:00 | Tilak Doshi
On July 18th, Dr Tilak Doshi wrote an article for Forbes defending J.D. Vance from accusations of 'climate denialism'. 48 hours later, Forbes un-published the article. Read the article on the Daily Sceptic.
The post I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Eight Hours Later, Forbes Un-Published the Article and Sacked Me as a Contributor appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday Fri Jul 26, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young
Tickets are still available to a live recording of the Weekly Sceptic, Britain's only podcast to break into the top five of Apple's podcast chart. It?s at Lola's, the downstairs bar of the Hippodrome on Monday July 29th.
The post Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
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Jump To Comment: 2 1I agree that there are inequalities in universities. I heard last year that a Queen’s University (of Belfast) report indicated only 16% of its studentship came from ‘working class’ backgrounds. However, as a female, working class recent graduate, it has been my experience that by the time we reached our final year, critical thinking was exactly what was required, with ‘regurgitation’ of references used only to demonstrate that we had actually researched reading materials. A springboard if you like in order to support our own individual arguments.
I agree with the previous comments, that universities do offer platforms for leftist politics to those who seek it out. While these institutions hold their own ‘cultures’, we are still able to use them to build our own futures. What studying at this level gave me was a thirst for knowledge and investigation with a formal approach to literary criticism. I had never known this before since I’ve had no other opportunity outside of university to make it actualised in my life. I must admit that this may already have been central to my character before I entered university. So perhaps for those entering at 18 there is still a naivety towards the world.
Yes, education systems are faulty – but not wholly so. Though perhaps it is rightly up to those who are so dissatisfied to bring unique and profound changes motivated by such dissatisfaction. However, I couldn’t support a complete damnation of what was for me a very real learning curve. My opinion of this education level is simply this: it is what you make it. So yes, let’s make it more open to all classes; more practical than solely academic.
If I have one major criticism of how things appear to be going at this level it’s this: that Research funding seems to be now the central driver steering the validation of programs. Teaching and arming future practitioners is becoming more peripheral. Academics are pushing for and being pushed towards this end and students are being increasingly used to provide cash for these pursuits. For example: entrepreneurship in the Arts or, higher engineering grants/awards to strategically encourage more students in this direction as opposed to other academic pursuits.
Research is a valid pursuit in opening new doors for academia and indeed, progress or innovation. But that shouldn’t make it a priority at the expense of educational quality. So perhaps more than ever there needs to be an institutional separation of Teaching from Research programs? Otherwise I truly fear the level of education offered will become increasingly second rate as schools compete for funding by moulding legitimate programs into those that suit the investors.
I disagree with No Masters when s/he writes:
'The chief role of the university is to train you how to be obedient in an unequal , racist, heterosexist, neo liberal, oppressive and alienating society. '
Yes, universities and education do promote ideas of neo-liberalism, subservience to political elitism etc...but while society is 'racist, heterosexist', it is not universities which 'train(s)' one to be 'obedient' to this. In my experience, universities offer students the potential to become politically active in leftist politics and by extension is a place where they encounter anti-racist ideas, feminist politics etc...even if this is the short-lived SWP bandwagon. I can't believe lecturers promote racism/sexism