Friday, May 21, 2004
Fresh Fish
Stanley Fish gives some parting advice as he exits the Ivory Tower. He says that universities should not teach moral character.
In other words, don't confuse your academic obligations with the obligation to save the world; that's not your job as an academic; and don't surrender your academic obligations to the agenda of any non-academic constituency — parents, legislators, trustees or donors. In short, don't cross the boundary between academic work and partisan advocacy, whether the advocacy is yours or someone else's.
I'm confused. I thought his big gripe was that he didn't think he should be accountable to parents and legislators, even though they paid his salary. Legislatures and parents were just calling for checks on run away spending, and not asking for bible classes or anything. Odd.
Stanley Fish gives some parting advice as he exits the Ivory Tower. He says that universities should not teach moral character.
In other words, don't confuse your academic obligations with the obligation to save the world; that's not your job as an academic; and don't surrender your academic obligations to the agenda of any non-academic constituency — parents, legislators, trustees or donors. In short, don't cross the boundary between academic work and partisan advocacy, whether the advocacy is yours or someone else's.
I'm confused. I thought his big gripe was that he didn't think he should be accountable to parents and legislators, even though they paid his salary. Legislatures and parents were just calling for checks on run away spending, and not asking for bible classes or anything. Odd.
