Humanities

Frigid weather fails to dampen enthusiasm at the MLA conference, finds Robert Eaglestone

How has 16 years of growth in enrolment affected the fortunes of different disciplines?

The neglected, inaccessible land beside arterial routes is the subject of an exhibition and book

Oxford scholar says discipline can play vital role in meeting biggest challenges

Forcing students to choose sides leaves them, and society, poorer, says Christopher Bigsby

Lack of interdisciplinarity and pared funds a cause of concern for social sciences

A new booklet has been launched on the role of social science in promoting “mental wellbeing”.  

Academics must counter ‘verbicide’, which constrains expression, to foster new ideas and ways of seeing

Robert Colls on why E. P. Thompson’s landmark book belongs on more university reading lists

Symposium considers drawing’s role in refining and communicating knowledge, from geology to surgery to unicorns

Sally Feldman welcomes a modern reimagining of the incomparable Jane

On Halloween, Richard Sugg reveals how early stories of death from paralysing nightmares morphed into tales of vampires

Time is a harsh mistress but there’s much to look forward to, says the doyenne of the Left

Robert Eaglestone and Simon Kövesi ponder the problems that could sink the subject

Manchester Met launches interdisciplinary Centre for Gothic Studies

Cambridge critic points to July report’s ‘bad faith’ arguments

Discord over vocational and theoretical aspects of music study in the 19th century still resonates in today’s debates about higher education’s purpose

A new monthly online magazine of social research and policy analysis has been launched.

Born Global research looks to bridge gap between supply and demand

Q-Step programme at 15 universities set to improve social science students’ expertise

Imperial College London has moved its Translation Studies Unit to University College London.

New book aims to promote calm in place of ‘grievance’

Critics of The Satanic Verses lost the battle but are winning the war, warns Dennis Hayes

Matthew Reisz talks to academics who have devoted their lives to studying the Bard

Lecturer says profession should widen its global outlook

Hip programme targets the groups others cannot reach

John Williams’ novel about the careworn life of an obscure US academic deserves its belated success, Christopher Bigsby writes

Humanities and social sciences in Australia could lose A$100 million (£60 million) in funding following a change in government, it is feared. 

Felipe Fernández-Armesto on two undergraduates’ stairways to heaven (via Cincinnati)

David Gewanter recalls the time he spent studying under the late poet

Commemoration of the 1914-18 war should involve critical reflection rather than arouse an inarticulate glow of national pride

Students get deeper insights when writers and poets such as Dickens and Neruda are on the syllabus, David Aberbach argues

Sarah Coakley, Cambridge professor of divinity, discusses how theology throws light on evolution, gender and other issues

Computer generated jokes can make people laugh, researchers have found, although they are still not as funny as human witticisms.

A sense of impending doom is nothing new in higher education, says Alan Ryan

Laura Frost on the paradox of women’s lust that science struggles to comprehend

Study of the past gives Nick Hillman insight into policymaking dilemmas as well as personal and practical rewards

British Academy’s new president demands clarity and humility

Aaron Rosen on how the UK is improving on a US staple

A British university has purchased the manuscript of a literary landmark at a price of close to a million pounds.

Lecturers aid students in ‘School of the Damned’

Long-term study of alumni careers questions coalition’s STEM emphasis

Scholars at two UK universities are to recreate the 400-year-old walking adventures of celebrated playwright Ben Jonson using social media.

Edge Hill scholar turns a queer eye on ageing

A conference being held this week is setting out to revive a neglected area of research which the Arab Spring has put back in the world’s spotlight.

Digital collection of 5 million pages aims to ‘open window’ on to India’s recent past

Anthropologist gets her hands dirty with Big Apple’s sanitation workers

Let’s penetrate the academic boundaries, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Spiders star in scholar’s photographic study

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

Leading designers discuss how UK institutions must adopt technologies and work with industry

A major new academic study exploring the attitudes of women who have converted to Islam in Britain looks at issues ranging from dress codes to divorce, marriage to media stereotypes and spirituality to sexuality.

An exhibition gives context and renewed attention to Richard Marsh, whose work outsold Dracula

Robert Dunbar appointed to University of Edinburgh chair of Celtic languages

The humanities classroom offers reflection of a healthier sort, says Robert Zaretsky

Comedian Johnny Vegas has mounted a heart-felt defence of art school, claiming that the new fees regime will dissuade students from deprived backgrounds studying for creative degrees to the detriment of society.

Humanities scholars must use dash and pluck to win research cash

Victorian ‘penny dreadfuls’ offer priceless insights into social history

If creativity can’t be taught, the invaluable craft of writing can, says novelist and Bath Spa professor

Graduates with science degrees are less likely to be out of work during a recession than those who studied humanities, according to new research on more than 6,000 young Americans.