The first chapter from Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities by Martha Nussbaum. An excerpt from The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World by Ben Wildavsky (and more and more and more and more and more). Students of the Great Recession: The economic slump has pushed more people to enroll in college, but it won’t prevent them from dropping out. If "almost every" tenured professor she knows has a "left-wing vision" of workplace issues, why do they accept the "shockingly brutal" treatment of faculty with contingent appointments? Cathy Davidson creates a new grading plan by turning over grading to the students in the course, and get out of the grading business herself. Unhealthy Opposition: Thomas P. Stossel on the value of academic-industry relationships. A degree in three: Colleges should shorten undergraduate curriculums from four years to three to increase access and reduce costs (and a response). An interview with Neil J. Smelser, author of Reflections on the University of California: From the Free Speech Movement to the Global University. Why do scholars enjoy exploring their academic genealogies? Jon Adams believes it is a desire to be associated with a dynastic intellectual legacy. Should your new buildings look old? The campuses of Jefferson's republic are lined with bad buildings designed to imitate their older neighbors. Andrew Potter on how not to defend the liberal arts. Skip College: A group of economists argue that it’s time to develop alternatives for students unlikely to succeed in pursuing a higher degree, or who may not be ready to do so. Stephen J. Mexal on the unintended value of the humanities: What is humanities research good for? Who knows? That's the point.
