Social science

Mona Siddiqui, one of the UK's leading commentators on Islam, is driven by intellectual curiosity, religious belief and a desire to engage. Hannah Fearn writes

Nottingham v-c warns that academics may face prosecution. Melanie Newman reports

Martin Mills finds an idealist at the apocalypse, but asks why one of our Dalai Lamas is missing

Gauging achievement as distinct from ability has always been a vexed question, says Wendy Johnson

Social scientists fear ethical concerns may impede their ability to mine the internet, says Zoe Corbyn

A surgeon says policing will improve by adopting medicine's research-led approach. John Gill writes

Study finds pockets of success for £300m scheme to raise standards. Rebecca Attwood reports

There may be more women on campus today, but a stark gender divide persists, says Melanie Newman

The AHRC wants to know which cultural elements, past and present, should inform policy-making. Zoe Corbyn reports

Tim Luckhurst is convinced that good journalism will continue to triumph over spin and blogging

Jane Kilby on the idea that the weak are emotionally involved with the strong, egging them on to force

Andreas Hess shivers at a glimpse of our future

Putting staff on insecure fixed-term contracts is a false economy that harms research, says Sean Wallis. Let's recycle their expertise instead

Academic faces censure for giving his time to run extracurricular revision class. John Gill reports

The author of a revisionist study of Irish republicans defends his research against critics who claim inaccuracy. John Gill reports

Beliefs about global insecurity of all kinds are the focus of new cross-council fellowships. Zoe Corbyn reports

Diplomas offer the skills and knowledge a competitive economy needs, so the CBI's predilection for A levels is puzzling, says Michael Arthur

Barbed wire, dispossession and fear: Laleh Khalili on liminal lives spent in an ever-shrinking ghetto

Joanna Bourke praises a 'must-read' on rape

Galvanised by last year's inaugural league table, universities across the UK have been busily redrafting environment policies and cutting energy consumption - but there's still a long way to go. Hannah Fearn reports

Aid 'labouring students' to bring knowledge to life, urges Leeds Met pro v-c. Rebecca Attwood reports

Strategies to deal with global warming must embrace all disciplines and approaches, not merely the technological, says Mike Hulme

Clumsy questions and dodgy data bedevil claims that high IQ leads to atheism, says Denis Alexander. A closer look offers a different picture