UniNewcastle dean of arts says “no case for studying western civ above all else

Hanrahans of the humanities gathered in Sydney on Monday night to launch the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, which will team with universities to teach undergraduates “the establishment and development of western civilisation.” An announcement of the universities that will share project funding was expected but the news is said to be delayed until the new year.

However it seems there is one, the University of Newcastle, that does not want a piece of the action. Dean of arts Catharine Coleborn argues in The Conversation that; “the ‘civilisation’ model of history, which suggests peoples and empires existed separately from one another, and rose or fell over time, is now viewed as deeply flawed.”

Given UniNewcastle has just cancelled independent courses in philosophy and two of four ancient history teaching positions are gone, this is not surprising.

The university says it has “no intention to downgrade the humanities,” (but and it is quite a big but for supporters of western civ,) “the current levels of staffing in the humanities disciplines simply cannot be sustained, and we’re looking at ways of becoming smarter about our delivery of courses to students needing flexibility in their programs of study.”

In October the university told CMM, “our research shows that students are seeking degrees with applied aspects and with a focus on careers in social assistance, human services and social impact and innovation.”


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