Features

Does more mean better or worse?

How has 16 years of growth in enrolment affected the fortunes of different disciplines?

Serious academic players on what they’ve learned from life at the table

The hardcore group of academics who print books on subjects sidelined by mainstream publishers

Ruth Barcan believes such feelings are a logical response to a broken academic system

We’ll make the principles of Robbins a 21st-century reality, minister promises

Academics describe the complex, arbitrary bureaucracy, emotional turmoil and career limbo wrought by Britain’s policies

In this season of festive goodwill and fantasy, John Gilbey meets the vice-chancellor of the publicity-shy but prosperous University of Rural England - and he begins to contemplate the possibility of living happily ever after…

Beijing wants to supercharge its nation’s universities as it has its railroads, but might its ambitions falter for want of academic freedom and cultural change?

The year’s best reads for work and pleasure, chosen by scholars and senior figures in the sector

Data gathering can be a dangerous business, oceanographer Penny Holliday tells Paul Jump

Enthusiasm for ‘neuroeducation’ risks blinding people to its potentially limited efficacy, argues Steven Rose

African American scholars still struggle for public prominence outside discussions of racial justice, says Daniel Matlin

The state is confronting student protest with an iron fist while promising to relax its grip on the academy. Jack Grove reports from the country

Academics must counter ‘verbicide’, which constrains expression, to foster new ideas and ways of seeing

In the case of Rwanda, it is wrong to argue that only academics working outside the country are capable of critical comment, says Phil Clark

Robert Colls on why E. P. Thompson’s landmark book belongs on more university reading lists

David Matthews reports from the island state on the questions facing its burgeoning academy

A mentor provides far more than inspiration and sage advice, says Tom Palaima, who fears for the future of such guiding relationships in the era of Moocs

Susan K Burton looks back at her time teaching at Japanese universities and wonders why more Westerners don’t head east

Richard Larschan explains how events at his university arising from the bombings led to his long-resisted retirement

Does bitchiness serve any useful scholarly purpose?

Time is a harsh mistress but there’s much to look forward to, says the doyenne of the Left

Robert Eaglestone and Simon Kövesi ponder the problems that could sink the subject

The death of his father prompts Nicholas Till to consider the interconnectedness of things

Experts discuss the development and legacy of the epochal report on its golden anniversary

Nicolas Gompel explains how his pet obsession has inspired his investigations into biological diversity

A new generation of ‘dual-intensive’ universities can do the job, argues Edward Acton

As the 2014 REF census date approaches, Paul Jump talks to the architects of previous rounds of assessment about how it all began and their views on the research excellence framework

Discord over vocational and theoretical aspects of music study in the 19th century still resonates in today’s debates about higher education’s purpose

David Matthews investigates the scale and threat of the custom essay industry

A failed dealer used his insider status to research drugs, violence and the American Dream

Earthquake experts must communicate public risk more effectively to avoid a repetition of the Italian media fiasco that a year ago culminated in jail terms for the academics involved

A career in science is built on hope and naviety as well as intellect, argues Russell Foster

Matthew Reisz talks to academics who have devoted their lives to studying the Bard

The rise of the taught master’s course has come with a troubling shift in focus towards ‘employability’

To avoid conflicts of interest, academic research must be transparent and independently funded, says Cary Nelson

Some of the world’s most powerful graduates demonstrate the influence of UK universities

John Williams’ novel about the careworn life of an obscure US academic deserves its belated success, Christopher Bigsby writes

Mobile phone ownership across the continent is rocketing, but can it expand higher education’s reach and quality?

How did David Mould end up teaching journalism in Kazakhstan’s frozen capital? He was a political pawn, he says

Moving to a different sphere of study can be a fruitful - and liberating - experience

Allan Johnson on the misunderstood B-sides of conference presentations

We report from Spain on the University of Mondragon, which is fighting to preserve its teaching mission, industry-focused research and mutual governance model

Austin Williams on the possibilities and limitations of ‘taking a line for a walk’

How long before search committees stop assuming that the right man for the top university job is a man?

Will Michael Gove’s reform plans endanger the traditional values he seeks to promote? Jack Grove investigates

Academic experts who can also entertain enjoy the high life on the high seas

Sarah Coakley, Cambridge professor of divinity, discusses how theology throws light on evolution, gender and other issues

Data on what each UK university will charge next year show how the cost of study can vary wildly

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Gerald Kauvar and E. Grady Bogue on forced departures and how to avoid them

Matthew Reisz on how women walk the line between home and office

Jon Marcus asks whether British universities would be wise to emulate the US elite

Five scholars and a recent graduate look back on their experiences during a period when the sector changed for ever

The subcontinent plans to create capacity for an extra 10 million students in five years, with particular emphasis on quality of education. But how?

What if marketing-speak is not glib nonsense, but a poison at the heart of the university?

Matthew Reisz meets Harvard superstar Michael Sandel to discuss the preservation of the public good

There are some important dos and don’ts to bear in mind when choosing someone to oversee your doctoral thesis, advises Tara Brabazon