Thanks for forwarding, Ben. Interesting (as well as depressing!) to read.
One point noted in Sarah's article is the inaccessibility of academic
literature within America, which I suspect is common in many other
countries.
It will be interesting to see if the British government's recent decision
to make publicly funded research available to the general public has much
impact on the way research is published, accessed and utilised around the
world. (See
http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2012/Jul/government-to-open-up-public
ly-funded-research for more info on their plans).
Emma
---
Emma Fisher, BA
PhD Candidate
Faculty of Design
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne, Australia
www.swinburne.edu.au/design
On 23/08/12 1:05 AM, "ben jonson" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>The headline 'The closing of American academia - The plight of adjunct
>professors highlights the end of higher education as a means to
>prosperity', is from an online article by US anthropologist Sarah
>Kendzior who recently received her PhD from Washington University in St
>Louis.
>Quote from the article:
>'Below poverty line
>In most professions, salaries below the poverty line would be cause for
>alarm. In academia, they are treated as a source of gratitude.
>Volunteerism is par for the course - literally. Teaching is touted as a
>"calling", with compensation an afterthought. One American research
>university offers its PhD students a salary of $1000 per semester for the
>"opportunity" to design and teach a course for undergraduates, who are
>each paying about $50,000 in tuition. The university calls this position
>"Senior Teaching Assistant" because paying an instructor so far below
>minimum wage is probably illegal.'
>Although the article highlights US adjuncts conditions in the field of
>anthropology it might be of interest to a wider academic audience,
>including members of PHD-DESIGN list.
>The full article:
>http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/2012820102749246453.html
>(accessed August 22, 2012)
>BJ
|