CAT ARTICLE DOSE – 48

The topic of the humanities being in crisis is not new. For example in Culture and Anarchy (Arnold [1889] 1994),
Matthew Arnold argued for the authoritative power of ‘culture’, which would transcend political, religious, or social
divisions, as a solution to the political confusion, crises, and riots of his time. Gerald Gaff believed that Arnold
‘established the categories and the grammar through which we think about cultural crises’(Gaff qtd. in Donoghue
2008, p. 20).

Today, scholars such as Stefan Collini (2017) argue that the ‘issue’ with the humanities, in part, concerns the university
itself—that, within the last two decades, and with the rise in neoliberal models and priorities, we have lost a sense of
what universities are. In his Speaking of Universities, Collini observes the surge in the number of universities in the UK
which have an emphasis on business models; he also notes the impact of globalisation. Collini argues that, with the
expanding and internationalising student populations, universities have lost their sense of purpose and increasingly
feel the need to articulate their value. Universities are being run in a corporate model, with systems of accountability
and high levels of managerialism. In a previous book, What Are Universities For?, Collini (2012, p. 87) points out that:
Whatever the reality of the experience of actually attending one of today’s semi-marketized, employment-oriented
institutions, there remains a strong and popular desire that they should, at their best, incarnate a set of “aspirations
and ideals” that go beyond any form of economic return.

This notion that there is a ‘non-economic’ return-on-investment for education can be traced back to Victorian ideals
about the university, the origins of which informed the English education system and the modern university. This
history is well explored in Sheldon Rothblatt’s work, as well as the study of Victorian education in Dinah Birch’s (2008)
Our Victorian Education. Collini (2012) notes that universities are ‘a problem for governments, in market democracies
… where there is an overreliance on ‘individualistic and economic pressures’’. In the end, ‘[t]he tension between the
two imperatives (the market) and (disinterested scholarship) is unresolved’. It appears that the humanities, too, sit
within this tension—perhaps even more so as their market value is more difficult to define in real terms and their
inheritance of Victorian ideals surrounding the non-utilitarian nature of a liberal arts education still persists. Moreover,
in the humanities at least, university research and learning encourages the study and exploration into many modes
and ways of being; this knowledge can often challenge outright market logic.

Universities in the US and the UK have also been subject to strong neoliberalist trends. In The Last Professors: The
Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities (Donoghue 2008), US academic Frank Donoghue adds his own
searing critique of the corporatisation of universities, their reduction in faculty, and the decline in tenure. He argues
that universities have become consumed with the superficial notions of prestige, and it is the humanities that suffer the
most in this scenario. James Côté and Anton Allahah similarly identify the loss of many universities’ missions and thus
focus on reaffirming liberal ideals in their book, Lowering Higher Education: The Rise of Corporate Universities and the
Fall of Liberal Education (Allahar and Côté 2011). In The Marketplace of Ideas, Louis Menand (2010) recognises that,
behind the rhetoric of anti-instrumentalism, there is a response to large structural and political changes in the
university and in its relationship with the wider public culture.

It is clear from these studies that government mindsets and economic values have become increasingly at odds with
the philosophical underpinnings of the university and with what universities are meant for or expected to do: on the
one hand, to offer experiences which go beyond ‘economic return’ in a climate where financial support for universities
providing non-economic returns on students’ education is dwindling.

In The Idea of An Australian University, Glyn Davis (2017), former Vice Chancellor of Melbourne University, argues that
due to the withdrawal of public funding, universities need to focus on developing markets, diversity, and attracting
international students. In her book, Academic Life and Labour in the New Universities: Hope and Other Choices, Ruth
Barcan (2016) offers another Australian perspective: while considerably more ‘hopeful’ in tone than previous analyses,
Barcan is attuned to the paradox of the institutional massification and marketisation of education; while perceiving
advantages to opening up universities to wider cohorts, she portends that academics must respond to changing
technologies and adapt to the times.

Page 1 of 5
PASSAGE DETAILS
• Source: JOURNAL: Pike, D. The Humanities: What Future? Humanities 2023, 12, 85.
https://doi.org/10.3390/h12040085
• Length of the Extract: 752 words
• Flesch Kincaid Grade Level: 17.7
• Genre: Humanities

MIND MAPS

After carefully reading the passage, evaluate your understanding through the following exercises:

Comprehension Check: This part is focused on identifying and summarising the main ideas in the passage.
Look for pivotal sentences or groups of sentences that encapsulate the core themes in each paragraph.
Summarise these main ideas using your own words. Your goal is to capture the essence of the passage
accurately.

Page 2 of 5
COMPREHENSION CHECK
KEY IDEA
[1] The topic of the humanities being in crisis is not new. [2] For example in Culture and Anarchy
(Arnold [1889] 1994), Matthew Arnold argued for the authoritative power of ‘culture’, which would
transcend political, religious, or social divisions, as a solution to the political confusion, crises, and
riots of his time. [3] Gerald Gaff believed that Arnold ‘established the categories and the grammar
through which we think about cultural crises’(Gaff qtd. in Donoghue 2008, p. 20).

[4] Today, scholars such as Stefan Collini (2017) argue that the ‘issue’ with the humanities, in part,
concerns the university itself—that, within the last two decades, and with the rise in neoliberal
models and priorities, we have lost a sense of what universities are. [5] In his Speaking of
Universities, Collini observes the surge in the number of universities in the UK which have an
emphasis on business models; he also notes the impact of globalisation. [6] Collini argues that, with
the expanding and internationalising student populations, universities have lost their sense of
purpose and increasingly feel the need to articulate their value. [7] Universities are being run in a
corporate model, with systems of accountability and high levels of managerialism. [8] In a previous
book, What Are Universities For?, Collini (2012, p. 87) points out that: [9] Whatever the reality of the
experience of actually attending one of today’s semi-marketized, employment-oriented institutions,
there remains a strong and popular desire that they should, at their best, incarnate a set of
“aspirations and ideals” that go beyond any form of economic return.

[10] This notion that there is a ‘non-economic’ return-on-investment for education can be traced
back to Victorian ideals about the university, the origins of which informed the English education
system and the modern university. [11] This history is well explored in Sheldon Rothblatt’s work, as
well as the study of Victorian education in Dinah Birch’s (2008) Our Victorian Education. [12] Collini
(2012) notes that universities are ‘a problem for governments, in market democracies … where
there is an overreliance on ‘individualistic and economic pressures’’. [13] In the end, ‘[t]he tension
between the two imperatives (the market) and (disinterested scholarship) is unresolved’. [14] It
appears that the humanities, too, sit within this tension—perhaps even more so as their market
value is more difficult to define in real terms and their inheritance of Victorian ideals surrounding the
non-utilitarian nature of a liberal arts education still persists. [15] Moreover, in the humanities at
least, university research and learning encourages the study and exploration into many modes and
ways of being; this knowledge can often challenge outright market logic.

[16] Universities in the US and the UK have also been subject to strong neoliberalist trends. [17] In
The Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities (Donoghue 2008),
US academic Frank Donoghue adds his own searing critique of the corporatisation of universities,
their reduction in faculty, and the decline in tenure. [18] He argues that universities have become
consumed with the superficial notions of prestige, and it is the humanities that suffer the most in this
scenario. [19] James Côté and Anton Allahah similarly identify the loss of many universities’
missions and thus focus on reaffirming liberal ideals in their book, Lowering Higher Education: The
Rise of Corporate Universities and the Fall of Liberal Education (Allahar and Côté 2011). [20] In The
Marketplace of Ideas, Louis Menand (2010) recognises that, behind the rhetoric of anti-
instrumentalism, there is a response to large structural and political changes in the university and in
its relationship with the wider public culture.

[21] It is clear from these studies that government mindsets and economic values have become
increasingly at odds with the philosophical underpinnings of the university and with what
universities are meant for or expected to do: on the one hand, to offer experiences which go
beyond ‘economic return’ in a climate where financial support for universities providing non-
economic returns on students’ education is dwindling.

[22] In The Idea of An Australian University, Glyn Davis (2017), former Vice Chancellor of
Melbourne University, argues that due to the withdrawal of public funding, universities need to focus
on developing markets, diversity, and attracting international students. [23] In her book, Academic
Life and Labour in the New Universities: Hope and Other Choices, Ruth Barcan (2016) offers
another Australian perspective: while considerably more ‘hopeful’ in tone than previous analyses,
Barcan is attuned to the paradox of the institutional massification and marketisation of education;
while perceiving advantages to opening up universities to wider cohorts, she portends that
academics must respond to changing technologies and adapt to the times.

[Analysis on the next page]

Page 3 of 5
 KEY IDEA
[1] The topic of the humanities being in crisis is not new. [2] For example in Culture and Anarchy The historical roots of the
(Arnold [1889] 1994), Matthew Arnold argued for the authoritative power of ‘culture’, which would idea that culture can be a
transcend political, religious, or social divisions, as a solution to the political confusion, crises, and solution to political and
riots of his time. [3] Gerald Gaff believed that Arnold ‘established the categories and the grammar societal crises.
through which we think about cultural crises’(Gaff qtd. in Donoghue 2008, p. 20).

[4] Today, scholars such as Stefan Collini (2017) argue that the ‘issue’ with the humanities, in part, The transformation of
concerns the university itself—that, within the last two decades, and with the rise in neoliberal universities in the last two
models and priorities, we have lost a sense of what universities are. [5] In his Speaking of decades, shifting towards
Universities, Collini observes the surge in the number of universities in the UK which have an business models and losing
emphasis on business models; he also notes the impact of globalisation. [6] Collini argues that, with their sense of purpose.
the expanding and internationalising student populations, universities have lost their sense of
purpose and increasingly feel the need to articulate their value. [7] Universities are being run in a
corporate model, with systems of accountability and high levels of managerialism. [8] In a previous
book, What Are Universities For?, Collini (2012, p. 87) points out that: [9] Whatever the reality of the
experience of actually attending one of today’s semi-marketized, employment-oriented institutions,
there remains a strong and popular desire that they should, at their best, incarnate a set of
“aspirations and ideals” that go beyond any form of economic return.

[10] This notion that there is a ‘non-economic’ return-on-investment for education can be traced The tension between market
back to Victorian ideals about the university, the origins of which informed the English education pressures and traditional
system and the modern university. [11] This history is well explored in Sheldon Rothblatt’s work, as ideals, particularly in the
well as the study of Victorian education in Dinah Birch’s (2008) Our Victorian Education. [12] Collini humanities.
(2012) notes that universities are ‘a problem for governments, in market democracies … where
there is an overreliance on ‘individualistic and economic pressures’’. [13] In the end, ‘[t]he tension
between the two imperatives (the market) and (disinterested scholarship) is unresolved’. [14] It
appears that the humanities, too, sit within this tension—perhaps even more so as their market
value is more difficult to define in real terms and their inheritance of Victorian ideals surrounding the
non-utilitarian nature of a liberal arts education still persists. [15] Moreover, in the humanities at
least, university research and learning encourages the study and exploration into many modes and
ways of being; this knowledge can often challenge outright market logic.

[16] Universities in the US and the UK have also been subject to strong neoliberalist trends. [17] In Critiques of corporatization
The Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities (Donoghue 2008), in universities and the effect
US academic Frank Donoghue adds his own searing critique of the corporatisation of universities, on the humanities, especially
their reduction in faculty, and the decline in tenure. [18] He argues that universities have become in the U.S. and UK.
consumed with the superficial notions of prestige, and it is the humanities that suffer the most in this
scenario. [19] James Côté and Anton Allahah similarly identify the loss of many universities’
missions and thus focus on reaffirming liberal ideals in their book, Lowering Higher Education: The
Rise of Corporate Universities and the Fall of Liberal Education (Allahar and Côté 2011). [20] In The
Marketplace of Ideas, Louis Menand (2010) recognises that, behind the rhetoric of anti-
instrumentalism, there is a response to large structural and political changes in the university and in
its relationship with the wider public culture.

[21] It is clear from these studies that government mindsets and economic values have become The conflicting mindsets of
increasingly at odds with the philosophical underpinnings of the university and with what government and
universities are meant for or expected to do: on the one hand, to offer experiences which go universities, particularly the
beyond ‘economic return’ in a climate where financial support for universities providing non- clash between economic
economic returns on students’ education is dwindling. values and the philosophical
underpinnings of education.
[22] In The Idea of An Australian University, Glyn Davis (2017), former Vice Chancellor of Australian perspectives on
Melbourne University, argues that due to the withdrawal of public funding, universities need to focus the need for universities to
on developing markets, diversity, and attracting international students. [23] In her book, Academic adapt to new economic
Life and Labour in the New Universities: Hope and Other Choices, Ruth Barcan (2016) offers realities, reflecting both
another Australian perspective: while considerably more ‘hopeful’ in tone than previous analyses, concern and optimism.
Barcan is attuned to the paradox of the institutional massification and marketisation of education;
while perceiving advantages to opening up universities to wider cohorts, she portends that
academics must respond to changing technologies and adapt to the times.

Page 4 of 5
Central Theme: The central theme of this passage is the crisis in the humanities and the transformation of universities,
focusing on the shift towards neoliberal models, corporate priorities, and the tension between economic pressures and the
traditional ideals of education.

Tone: The tone is analytical, critical, and academic, weaving together various scholarly perspectives to present a nuanced
analysis of the changing landscape of higher education, especially within the humanities.

Structure of the Passage: The passage is structured in a way that evolves from historical insights to contemporary
critiques. Paragraph 1 provides historical context, discussing how culture and education have been perceived as solutions to
societal crises. Paragraph 2 explores recent trends in universities with an emphasis on business models. Paragraph 3 delves
into the tension between market demands and traditional scholarly values, specifically in the humanities. Paragraph 4
expands on this with critiques of the corporatization of universities, focusing on the U.S. and the UK. Paragraph 5 synthesizes
the studies to show the conflict between government and economic values versus university philosophy. Paragraph 6 offers
Australian perspectives on the issue, reflecting both challenges and potential adaptations.

Page 5 of 5