Diary 222

Diary 222

Monday, October 26th

Today brought the news that my former employer, Curry College, had just axed the entire Politics and History Department, plus English, Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies, Black Studies, Philosophy and Religion, and a few other departments, also in their entirety. This is only the start, for this and other small colleges hit by Covid, economic downturns, and dwindling confidence in this country.

I’m sad, of course, that the college will no longer be a Liberal Arts College, and that the Humanities seems to be an endangered species. I’m also sad for all the younger academics who had hoped to use their energy and enthusiasm to make a positive difference in the world and who are now with out jobs, without careers.

I’m sad for the students who will no longer be educated about the wider world.