Features

In a pair of books exploring aspects of Jewish identity, Devorah Baum reflects on Jewishness and the human condition. She talks about turning uncomfortable ‘Jewish feelings’ such as guilt into something positive, and how humour is a way of coping with life’s trials

David Matthews learns how archivists deal with enquiries about material collected by the former East Germany’s secret police that can still destroy reputations

Liberal arts colleges are often perceived as being elite and irrelevant. But the best among them excel in areas such as engagement and focus on critical thinking. Ellie Bothwell explores whether liberal arts education has become redundant – or simply needs a makeover

Academic work is typically all-consuming, but some scholars still manage to combine some eye-catching sidelines with their day jobs. Here, five tell their stories

With degrees now necessary for entry into more jobs than ever before, John Morgan considers the economic arguments for expanding higher education

From neuroscience to philosophy and economics, seven scholars relate what work in their disciplines reveals about the search for #HEhappiness

Having caused a scandal over research assessment back in the 1990s, Lincoln Allison is well placed to give an overview of its impact, and still finds it wanting

Is your resolution for the new academic year to publish more? Here, 16 scholars give advice on pitching, editing and writing – and dealing with negative peer reviews

The distinguished historian talks to Matthew Reisz about his latest book and his new role as president of the British Academy

Taiwan hopes that attracting students from further afield, particularly mainland China, will help to address its higher education crisis. But this in turn brings challenges, including compromised academic freedom, writes Chris Parr

Salary transparency can promote equality but also tends to foment jealousy and strife among academic staff, as Adrian Furnham has seen at first hand

Holly Else considers how the withdrawal of one of the biggest players in European research could change science on the Continent, and likely national winners and losers

Last week, the UK’s universities minister threatened to fine institutions that pay their v-cs more than the prime minister without a strong justification. We present three perspectives on the debate 

The bullying and subsequent suicide of a talented Ivy League scientist exposes ugly truths about the cruelty and dysfunction at the heart of academic science

An academic parent, a student and two researchers consider if the metrics approach is really the game changer for improving student outcomes that many claim, or if it has a dark side

We share what 50 Nobel prizewinners think about issues facing science, universities and the world, from populist politics and researcher mobility, to artificial intelligence and threats to humankind

The radio show In Our Time is a sort of academic seminar on the airwaves. Its presenter tells Matthew Reisz about bringing scholars to the public, and the risks UK academia faces

With the Hungarian government clamping down on universities and championing labourers over philosophers, David Matthews meets those living with the consequences

Scholars divulge which treasured possession they would rescue from their office before heading for the emergency exit if a fire broke out on campus

UK universities face uncertainty over the impact of Brexit and the TEF, the future for tuition fees and a pensions deficit. Which institutions have the financial clout and diversified portfolios to survive? Simon Baker runs the numbers

Dame Sue Black’s pioneering work has taken her to war zones and the aftermath of natural disasters. She explains the scientific rigour required in the field

Many an academic will be dragged to the cinema this summer by bored offspring determined to see the latest superhero film. But what kind of childhood heroes did scholars themselves have? Here, five reveal who and what inspired their career choices

John Morgan witnesses a pioneering collaboration between two Sheffield universities, drawing upon the city’s manufacturing heritage to become a hub of industrial innovation and a model of civic engagement

It has long been claimed that critical thinking ability sets graduates apart. But are universities really preparing students for the modern workplace? David Matthews reports

At 1967’s Congress on the Dialectics of Liberation, radicals preached Black Power, existential psychiatry, free universities and more. Martin Levy reports on an event that was as much a happening as an academic conference

Ellie Bothwell goes through the archives from 45 to five years ago and discovers some recurring themes

Bernard Leeman, anti-apartheid fighter and peripatetic champion of low-cost rural tertiary education, describes the circuitous route he took to Vanuatu

Early career academics can be left to sink or swim when navigating the choppy waters of learning scholarly writing. Helen Sword says a more formal, communal approach can help everyone, especially women

John Morgan considers the hierarchies of prestige in higher education, the insights offered by big data research, and whether mixed-ability universities are the answer

Conditions that undermine the notion of scholarly vocation – relentless work, ubiquitous bureaucracy – can cause academics acute distress and spur them to quit, says Ruth Barcan

With the holiday season upon us, five academics suggest some unique destinations you may want to consider – or perhaps not

From the Victorian slum-dwellers whose lives were transformed after they found a warbling rodent, to the jazz-like sound of mouse music, Richard Sugg says that if you take strange stories seriously, you may find something beautiful

Economists’ stock plummeted with the financial crash. The authors of a new book suggest that reading novels could sharpen their insights, while four academics consider how the field might need to change

The universities of China, Singapore and South Korea are among the world leaders in some STEM fields, but will they expand their strength into other disciplines? asks Simon Marginson

Simon Baker explores the mechanics of the teaching excellence framework to determine if it was fair, if universities will attempt to game it, if it will win public favour and if it will change in future iterations

Stephen Mumford tells Matthew Reisz about his desire to bring his discipline to a wider audience, why Norway was the perfect place to write his Cartesian debut novel and why insights into causation have more practical relevance than might first appear

International education is Australia’s third-largest export industry, worth more than A$20 billion, and is set for further growth driven by current geopolitics. Jack Grove reports on how international recruitment is playing its part in Australia’s embrace of the Asian century

Texas-born scholar Angelia Wilson talks to Matthew Reisz about the changing face of political studies, Trump and the Christian Right, and a Bible Belt road trip

To defend the values of reason from political attack we need to be more discriminating about the claims made in its name, says John Hendry

In our annual survey of vice-chancellors’ pay, which reveals double-digit hikes for some and more modest rises for others, Simon Baker examines how remuneration committees make their decisions amid calls for greater transparency over the ‘arbitrary’ nature of salary increases

Oxford has educated almost all post-war British leaders. Anthony Seldon looks at Oxbridge’s powerful political role

Some MPs turned out of office might turn to academia for employment. But what do former political high-flyers bring to a university, and what are the potential downsides? Jack Grove reports

Ellie Bothwell talks with the KAUST president about effective leadership, securing funding and the importance of keeping the local public onside

Despite all that’s been done to improve doctoral study, horror stories keep coming. Here three students relate PhD nightmares while two academics advise on how to ensure a successful supervision

Moves to privilege community service in university admissions will create even more social justice warriors when what we need are more deep thinkers, argues Alexander Zubatov

We examine citation data to get an idea of the most exciting and potentially ground-breaking research topics

Five academics talk about the issues associated with various disabilities and what should be done to improve support

The need to accommodate foreign students undermines domestic practices, says Lincoln Allison, spying parallels between UK universities and global sports bodies such as Fifa

Seven academic leaders share their experiences at the departmental helm along with their tips on how to squeeze the best out of sceptical staff and meagre budgets – and still find time for research

Students are being hoodwinked into enrolling on ‘trendy’ new degree programmes that are, according to one concerned academic, little more than a marketing exercise

Agnes Bäker and Amanda Goodall have found that academics who are happiest at work have a head of department who is a distinguished researcher. How can such people be encouraged into management?

Our annual analysis shows that academic pay is still falling in real terms and that equality is still an issue with regard to gender and ethnicity

Witnessing the work of military surgical teams in Afghanistan caused conflicting emotions in an academic author and a sense of the futility of war and of his own profession

A right-wing philosopher in Texas tells John Gill how a minority of students can shut down debates and intimidate lecturers – and why he backs Trump

On the eve of the first round of France’s presidential elections, Matthew Reisz considers its complex higher education sector and the appetite among politicians, institutions and academics for reform

With overcrowded lecture theatres the norm in undergraduate education today, online delivery has entirely replaced lectures and seminars in some institutions. So where to in the coming decade? Warren Bebbington outlines a survival strategy for the increasingly unaffordable traditional university

What should have been a straightforward application for leave to remain in the UK turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare for University of St Andrews’ lecturer Emily Michelson, whose research trip to Italy proved too much for visa administrators to handle

From personalising tuition to performance management, the use of data is increasingly driving how institutions operate

An academic conference in the world’s northern-most human settlement was a profoundly unsettling – and enlightening – experience for Randy Malamud

As the THE Young University Rankings 2017 highlight rising stars, Jack Grove looks at six institutions – recently launched or still in the planning stages – built on bold notions and innovative approaches