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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: J. C. Dithers who wrote (51565)6/20/2002 12:16:52 PM
From: The Philosopher  Read Replies (1) of 82486
 
I don't think most people appreciate the importance of productive research in
a university, as opposed to the teaching mission.

The key word there is productive.

I don't object to productive research.

But a vast amount of "research," particularly in the humanities, is totally non-productive.

When I taught high school English composition, I would wander over to the Vassar library from time to time and pull PhD theses off the shelves at random and open them at random, and be virtually assured of a page of writing that was badly written, almost intentionally incomprehensible, and usually totally useless. It is too often a small group of people writing for a small group of people who are the only ones who will ever care.

There are exceptions, of course, but not that many.
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