From: kcalder@blueyonder.co.uk   
      
   In message , alias   
    writes   
   >On 2003-12-06, Omixochitl  wrote:   
   >> Kevin Calder  wrote in news:4qR7a5jBUc0   
   >> $Ewhr@cableinet.co.uk:   
      
   >>> The thing you (and some other posters in this thread) have to realise is   
   >>> that there are lots of sets of criteria for judging the worth of   
   >>> literary texts and the English Lit. institution, being fairly well   
   >>> established comes with its own predetermined set.  The way that most   
   >>> English Lit. degree courses approach literature will probably involve   
   >>> favouring BNW over N.   
      
   >>> If you don't like the way the academic institutions approach literature,   
   >>> and aren't willing to get into it, then stay away from academia!   
      
   >i try.. but all these "employers" want to see my paperwork... perhaps   
   >they should release thier monopoly on credentials?   
      
   Damn straight!   
      
   >  in such a case   
   >academia and i could pleasently avoid each other for all eternity.. till   
   >then they will have to deal with me like it or not ; )   
      
   Maybe we should set up a uni?  We could each teach a classroom and   
   students could wander freely from one to the other.  It would be great!   
   We would have the coolest student unions nightclub too.   
      
   >> What about professors who enjoy cyberpunk themselves (like one of mine),   
   >> who sometimes include _Neuromancer_ in Science Fiction courses (like   
   >> another one of mine, and who teach entire Cyberpunk courses (like I've seen   
   >> a few at other schools do)?  :)   
   >   
   >i had a similar prof back in the day.. good guy overall.. we did   
   >Neuro and Burning Chrome.. i wrote a paper on Neuro but it was no big   
   >event given that it was an sf course taught by a geekboy wierdo like   
   >myself.   
      
   Yeah, we ought not to be too hard on profs, particularly english profs   
   especially now that the subject is falling apart!  I expect that if its   
   not happening already, that pretty soon the man is going to start asking   
   English profs to start justifying what they are doing & teaching and   
   this is going to be pretty hard seen as how the whole thing has been   
   unquestioningly unjustified for about a bazillion years.  I can't   
   imagine what "Applied English Literature" will look like, but I worry it   
   will either be about how to write popular novels, or some kind of   
   application language study to marketing or somesuch.   
      
   I'm not sure I entirely object to some bloodletting in the arts & social   
   science depts. mind you.   
      
   >u weren't expecting some sort of actual effort were u?  i mean.. c'mon   
   >dude, its a university.. real work is done in the real world.. at uni   
   >all u need is high grade bullshit.   
      
   This is very true.  I would be careful not to underestimate the value of   
   high grade bullshit in the real world mind you.   
      
   zip,   
   --   
   Kevin Calder   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)