Articles of interest - Dec. 6
The Ph.D. Problem: On the professionalization of faculty life, doctoral training, and the academy’s self-renewal by Louis Menand
In an interesting study which seemingly summarizes current thinking, professor Menand discusses the potential need to reconfigure the PhD academic experience with regard to end goal. If more students could potentially finish in less time, plus find meaningful work in areas related to the degree, it might be a means to encourage those on the fence of attempting graduate work to pursue the higher level, post college study. Of course, one could claim that the need to revamp PhD programs also relates to the change in education in undergraduate settings. For many areas of study, an undergraduate education is clearly inadequate. Some of this I would argue is related to the lessening of importance of the high school diploma. To get many jobs today, a BA/BS is the minimum one needs.
A broader definition of healthcare By Kim Geiger and Tom Hamburger
The new health care plan is tempting to increase insurance reimbursements for complimentary alternative therapies. The article poses that this would potentially negate the said goal of health care reform which is to cut spending on non-proven treatments. I guess this is further evidence that the goal of the health care reform is not to actually reform health care but to pander to lobbyists and other supporters.
The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell by Andy Serwer
For those who accept the false notion that decades begin with 0 and end with 9, then yes, we are at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. To just comment on one of my pet peeves, decades begin on the year ...1 and end with ...0, as the 0 is a 10, not a 0. Having said that, I am not sure I would say this was one of the worst decade. Many disasters and downturns don't always qualify time periods as such. Sure, we faced many difficult events, but what decade hasn't seen bad and good. Why be such doomsayers? I guess read the article and you be the judge. I still think one can argue that the 1930s were much worse (and lets hope that remains such).
In an interesting study which seemingly summarizes current thinking, professor Menand discusses the potential need to reconfigure the PhD academic experience with regard to end goal. If more students could potentially finish in less time, plus find meaningful work in areas related to the degree, it might be a means to encourage those on the fence of attempting graduate work to pursue the higher level, post college study. Of course, one could claim that the need to revamp PhD programs also relates to the change in education in undergraduate settings. For many areas of study, an undergraduate education is clearly inadequate. Some of this I would argue is related to the lessening of importance of the high school diploma. To get many jobs today, a BA/BS is the minimum one needs.
A broader definition of healthcare By Kim Geiger and Tom Hamburger
The new health care plan is tempting to increase insurance reimbursements for complimentary alternative therapies. The article poses that this would potentially negate the said goal of health care reform which is to cut spending on non-proven treatments. I guess this is further evidence that the goal of the health care reform is not to actually reform health care but to pander to lobbyists and other supporters.
The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell by Andy Serwer
For those who accept the false notion that decades begin with 0 and end with 9, then yes, we are at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. To just comment on one of my pet peeves, decades begin on the year ...1 and end with ...0, as the 0 is a 10, not a 0. Having said that, I am not sure I would say this was one of the worst decade. Many disasters and downturns don't always qualify time periods as such. Sure, we faced many difficult events, but what decade hasn't seen bad and good. Why be such doomsayers? I guess read the article and you be the judge. I still think one can argue that the 1930s were much worse (and lets hope that remains such).
Labels: academia, current events, health, politics
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