Features

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

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

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

Danny Dorling considers how population change influences the shape and direction of higher education in fundamental ways

How a brutal murder led one academic to the underworld of dogfighting

Pat Monaghan and Tim Birkhead call for variation to be the theme once more in university biology

Universities need clear protocols for accepting money - particularly from outside the UK, argues Chris Higgins

Lisa Downing on why the erosion of women’s, gender and sexuality studies in UK universities is cause for concern

Student protests brought down a government but failed to freeze tuition fees: what’s next for a province where universities remain high on the political agenda? Elizabeth Gibney reports from Montreal

Chris Hackley on his moment of sporting triumph

The education secretary’s attacks on the academy are a smokescreen for the damage caused by his radical policies, argues Martin McQuillan

As students grow keener to stand up for their rights over perceived wrongs, is the sector doing all it can to be consistent, fair and prompt when resolving disputes?

Liz Schafer explores why the work of the playwright Elizabeth Cary has been so marginalised

Academics and others discuss a typical working week

Universities must ensure that governing bodies are fit to do their part to prevent crises, Michael Shattock says

When anthropologists pointed out that cultural factors impeded tropical disease treatment campaigns, some fellow scientists reacted with outrage

Alastair Bonnett visits Lincoln’s Social Science Centre, a cooperative, free university attempting to build a different kind of knowledge economy

Today’s students are impoverished by a scant knowledge of culture and context, but the story of art should be a sine qua non of any well-rounded curriculum, argues Brian Sewell

Somewhere, in a class past or future, your nemesis awaits. John Kaag on the existential terror of a pedagogical puzzle

Germany and Eastern Europe rocked by string of high-profile cases within their governments. Paul Jump reports

The divisive country-club culture at ‘Midwest University’ that places status above study and raises partying to a vocation

Husband-and-wife academics debate the merits of the research excellence framework

Education academics must demonstrate their practical relevance if they wish to save their discipline, argues John Furlong

Glass ceiling remains in place for female academics. Jack Grove reports

Paul Magrs was flabbergasted when an institution he hadn’t heard from in years asked if it could use his work to show impact. Here is his reply

The viva, the final hurdle to gaining a PhD, is labour-intensive, not conducted to any national standard and is dreaded by students who fear an examiner will capriciously halt their career. Is it still fit for purpose? asks Elizabeth Gibney

Steve Smith warns of looming budgetary issues that could send institutions off the road

We must hold up a mirror to scientific peer review if we are to stamp out fraud and uphold the discipline’s reputation, argues Philip Moriarty

In a world untouched by the Sun for millennia, a UK scientist found research heaven and arachnophobe hell

Could a Welsh institution’s success offer insights to help stragglers catch up?

Dale Salwak on the sudden realisation that knowledge of his subject had become intuitive understanding and lecture notes could be put aside when teaching

Universities are required to be open to scrutiny because they are publicly funded. But how far should it go? When it comes to their internal business, David Matthews discovers that competition may be a stumbling block to transparency

Nicholas Royle on the rise of creative writing and the need for fresh forms of ‘creative reading’