a course load for the game of life

In case you're wondering, yes there is higher news and facsimiles thereof to report. Look for those @NewFacMajority. Quicker and more efficient. As for NFM news, Board deliberations are in-house and clearance cumbersome ~ easier to wait for press releases or the newsletter, which will be out soon. I posted a call and the deadline not long ago. As soon as the ToC is available, I will post it, ditto a link to the newsletter when published/emailed to members.

I don't do newsletter: blogging, tweeting and tending Facebook suffice - and then some. Posts in progress (a counter conference concurrent with MLA, media coverage of October 7th Day of Action, assorted whither-U musings, etc) aren't ready ~ still simmering on the back burner, in need of more stirring, seasoning, additional ingredients. Others are still in prep stage, being measured out, mixed and kneaded or sliced and diced on the cutting board.

Needless to say, ideas, tips, links, story suggestions and guest posts are welcome. Email me at vanessa.vaile@newfacultymajority.info. Until then, I'm making do on my own. That includes cheerfully recycling whenever I can. For today, I offer "a course load for the game of life," annotated links from Omnivore that address the question, "What practical value could there possibly be in studying literature or art or philosophy?"

"Why do they hate us?" Professors, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, feel that they're under siege.

At 'Why Humanities?': An upcoming conference gathers some of the leading voices in the humanities to discuss the value of their field. The turning away from the humanities reflects a deeper problem of a loss of confidence in the “values” conveyed by a traditional humanistic education, the decline of the traditional “high” arts, and their detachment from everyday life. More on Martha Nussbaum's Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities.

Just a sampling ~ still more annotated links whither humanities and other higher ed articles await. The eclectic array of sources includes but is never limited to just academic or even domestic press. Read the rest at "a course load for the game of life" in Omnivore, the Book Forum's blog.

Then move onto Omnivore's latest higher ed related collection, "When college is not the best time" or "How a 'college for all' philosophy leaves everyone behind" ~ deserving of a separate post to be sure, but if I don't practice the occasional economy of scale, I'll be at this all day. I still have community blogs to update ~ local writers group, county election, haunted house at the Elementary School, church thrift sales, town council and chamber of commerce meetings, gallery openings, yard sales, etc. Now if only I could use the same material there as here ...