Lecturer

Some research disciplines have their very own ‘Simon and Garfunkel’. Matthew Reisz talks to some of those whose close and enduring collaborations have convinced them that two voices are better than one

UK university leaders might be bullish on the subject of institutional failure but the divide between managers and staff needs serious redress

Institutions seek guidance over links to Chinese company but are told that it is not their role to start a ‘new Cold War’

England’s loan system and high fees have fuelled students’ sense of entitlement but not of responsibility, says Beth Guilding 

Universities may feel held to unachievable standards, but removing barriers for all manner of talented people will make institutions better and stronger

Ivor Gaber enjoys a biography of an Oxford don who became the UK’s first on-screen pollster

Standardised test scores, interviews, entrance exams, choosing the top percentage of applicants: all are used in university admissions. Ellie Bothwell asks which methods provide the most honest reflection of suitability for higher education

Lisa Mckenzie finds a challenging but essential piece of reading in an age of failing political systems and distrustful citizens

The paradoxical resurgence of prudishness could get even Gregory Peck into hot water, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

The stigma and fear of sexuality research must change if it is to inform any legal reform that comes in the wake of the #MeToo movement, argues Victoria Brooks 

Forcing academics on to teaching-only contracts based on flawed assessments of their research is ruining careers, an anonymous academic says 

The jury is out on the educational value of recording, but universities prize its ability to project them as accessible and inclusive, says Simon Fokt

UK universities must cover soaring staff visa costs to mitigate the effects of the Home Office’s harmful policies, says Tristan Sturm

As a new report reveals dissatisfaction with mentorship for female researchers, Jack Grove asks where responsibility lies

Katherine Angel finds a reconsideration of sex through the lens of play evocative but overly ambitious

Major Ucea study finds ethnic minority staff suffer ‘significant pay penalties’ relative to white male staff with equivalent academic backgrounds

As winter’s tunnel looms, academics would do well not to retreat into lonely silos, says Alison Newby

Jack Grove asks whether those who lead academic departments and universities can still realistically find the time to be effective researchers

Victims, heroes, delinquents: those returning from conflict unsettle society, writes Helena Goodwyn

If those researching topics disliked by politicians can’t make a living in universities, scholarship will be impoverished, says Mark Steven

A weekly look over the shoulders of our scholar-reviewers

Book of the week: Emily Michelson learns that the home and the items in it were the heart of Renaissance religion

Dutch figures show just how little time professors get for their own research. It may be easier to pursue your intellectual interests outside the university system, says THE reporter David Matthews

Pioneer of the genetics of hearing talks about how her research interests have been shaped by wine and music – and how she would cope with deafness

Book of the week: leaning in self-determinedly sidelines collective efforts to secure equality, says Emma Rees

Ordinary citizens were far more complicit in the Holocaust than one society is prepared to admit, says Giulia Miller

A polemic against the divisive effect of ‘victimology’ puts its author’s prejudices on display, says Joanna Williams

Neil Gregor tracks the power shifts in the wartime relationship between a destructive pair of leaders

The academy has long had a rich vein of children’s literature running through it, with J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll and C. S. Lewis all being Oxford dons. Matthew Reisz finds that the seam is still producing modern-day gems

Academics should not be afraid to challenge the wisdom of requiring institutions to make financial amends for their past links to slavery, says Robert Dingwall

Authoritarian populist governments prevent bloc from taking action to protect academic freedom, say scholars

UK higher education invites trouble if it conveys an impression that students and staff matter only in transactional terms and that diversity is not valued

A weekly look over the shoulders of our scholar-reviewers

Donald Trump’s election prompted US scientific leaders to get more of their own into public office. However, as the midterm elections loom, progress on bringing analytical skills into the political arena looks like being very slow, writes Paul Basken

A primer on the work of the ‘two-headed monster’ teases out the Talmudic and Kubrickian influences on their cinematic universe, says Nathan Abrams

Richard Williams rummages round a versatile site that housed cars, computers, start-ups and more

While widening access is high on universities’ agendas at undergraduate level, class barriers still prevail in the academy. Here, five working-class scholars describe their experiences of ‘otherness’

Early career academics on temporary contracts must put aside personal hopes of a better future and unite to improve their current lot, says Steven Parfitt

Degrees focused on specific careers need be no less rigorous or innovative than other graduate qualifications, say Sandro Galea and Lisa Sullivan

The ‘canon’ of political thought is a myth and we owe it to our students to let them choose which theorists they engage with, says Gemma Bird

Members say professional organisations dependent on income from subscription-model journals face ‘existential’ threat from landmark open access policy

Margarita Vaysman finds out why Russian writers use negative images of Christ to explore religion

A weekly look over the shoulders of our scholar-reviewers

A new teaching year has just begun in the northern hemisphere. Eight academics reflect on their experience of lecturing, and offer their tips on opening students’ eyes – and keeping them open

Justifications of suicide may risk promoting it, but censoring one side of an ancient argument would shortchange students, says David Baumeister

Lawyer of former university president imprisoned in Turkey gives glimpse into courtroom practices faced by persecuted academics

New pilot phase of post-Brexit immigration plans will prioritise applications from European Union staff working in higher education

Guilty pleasures, the people’s voice examined, toothsome characters and the daily grind, Roman style

Ann Hughes samples an account of household recipe creation in 17th-century England

Stuart Schrader is reminded how likely we are to be led astray if we accept state discourse at face value

In recounting their journeys, female writers could talk about themselves, their values, their civic engagement and their responses to contemporary affairs in Britain, writes Abigail Williams

The capital value of slaves made it possible for white livelihoods to flourish, writes Martin Myers

A grand tour of digital processes culminates with cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin in particular

Sociology, once a discipline seen as the embodiment of social progress, is now subject to frequent scepticism over its methodology, politics and career relevance. Here, five sociologists offer their assessment of the challenges facing the subject and what the future holds

If academics object to students’ intended destinations, they have a right not to write, says David Palumbo-Liu

Durham University has cleverly positioned itself as the ‘Harry Potter university’ to attract Chinese students, says Madeleine Ferrar

The digital tide will not wash away campus-based learning, believe most respondents to THE’s University Leaders Survey. David Matthews reports on what they see ahead for study options, scholarly conferences, scientific progress and more

Human beings’ need for religion goes far beyond the management of emotions, says Ursula King

Recording the day-to-day during the Holocaust did not restore victims’ sense of self, finds Dan Stone

Book of the week: In dire political times, Lyndsey Stonebridge discovers a welcome example of slow reading