#explainittome

Re “Legal scholar’s ‘political’ tweets ruffle a few feathers” (News, 21 August). Social media sites tend to have long and complex terms of use and privacy policies that basically state that the sites...

Different, yes, but better?

Ferdinand von Prondzynski claims that “Divergence has delivered results” for Scotland (From Where I Sit, 14 August). Really?The enduring myth for many Scots is that we are better than England in...

Intellectual surrender

Re Fred Inglis’ feature “Trained obedience” (28 August), on the docility of intellectuals in the UK academy today.It has been said that once you give up your “no”, it is hard, if not impossible, to...

When we travel, our values travel with us

I believe that recent Times Higher Education coverage of University College London’s presence in Qatar (“Union claims UCL shirking moral duty over workers’ welfare at Qatar campus”, News, 21 August,...

Brands 'R Us Conference

The week in higher education - 4 September 2014

The University of Brighton has come under fire for funding an academic conference on the My Little Pony toys, The Daily Telegraph reported on 28 August. According to Jonathan Isaby, chief executive...

How not to enhance a presentation

What could be easier than adding audio-visuals to your conference paper? John Corner on waiting for the gift of sound and vision

Efforts to tackle extremism can cause campus conflicts

The government’s Prevent counter-terrorism strategy is causing controversy in universities

Mysteries and Conspiracies: Detective Stories, Spy Novels and the Making of Modern Sciences, by Luc Boltanski

Sharon Wheeler on an ambitious investigation of crime fiction and its relation to modern society

Warm welcome encourages students to stay the course

Positive early experiences for new undergraduates help to reduce dropout rates

Parenthood and academia: an impossible balance?

Male and female scholars speak frankly about juggling parenting and research

Swansea dean has no regrets over controversial reforms

Nigel Piercy is unapologetic about antagonising some in drive to turn around School of Management

Racism seen but not heard at UK and US institutions

Senior managers often dismiss racist incidents or believe them to be exaggerated, says paper

Graduates ‘more likely’ to favour smaller higher education pool

Analysis of British Social Attitudes survey finds class bias with regard to future student numbers

Tougher visa rules may affect 40 institutions

10 per cent threshold for refusal rates may cause many to lose their licences to recruit overseas students