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editorial
Reforming Undergraduate Education by Gary Bauslaugh

Teaching is seriously undervalued in universities. Why? For one thing, research is the dominating focus of faculty members and administrators.

letters from our readers
— and more on SSHRC

letter from london
Creationism in the Land of Darwin by Andrew Copson

Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association writes about some successes in dealing with fundamentalism in Britain.

reflections of a humanist
Education, Humanism & Democracy by Theo Meijer

Universities are failing to provide the focus on liberal education that is central to a fully functioning democracy.

feature

Our Universities:
How We Got Where We Are by Ian Johnston

Johnston explains how universities got to be the way they are, and shows how this has seriously damaged undergraduate education.

the Rapid Transformation of Universities by Paul Kurtz

Paul Kurtz, a giant in the North American sceptical movement, talks about the ways universities have changed during his many years as a philosophy professor.

a Plague of Postmodernism by Justin Trottier

The academic Left sometimes compromises the social democratic causes it supports by supporting certain forms of intolerance.

poem

Three Score and Ten — and Still Learning by Henry Beissel

A new work by the great humanist poet Henry Beissel.

columns & departments

practical philosophy
Multiculturalism & Moral Relativism by Trudy Govier

Does multiculturalism imply moral relativism? Govier argues that it does not.

things that go bump
Who Chooses What to Teach in the Halls of Higher Learning? by James Alcock

Alcock discusses how the process for determining program offerings went awry at York University, when University administrators almost succeeded in bringing in a chiropractic degree.

films
Reed Remembered by Shirley Goldberg

Shirley Goldberg, our film writer, remembers wonderful undergraduate years at Reed College.

letter from new york
The Great Education Divide by Jonny Diamond

Capitalism contributes to the decline in public education, and in democracy.

crossword puzzle
theme: Universities by Ian Johnston

last word

What Went Right by Mike Matthews

Universities didn’t fail Mike Matthews.

Exclusive Web Supplements

Something Didn’t Happen (on the 25th Anniversary of Arts 1)
by Robert Rowan

At the 25th Anniversary of the landmark Arts 1 program at UBC, perhaps the most important innovation ever in undergraduate education in Canada, Bob Rowan (the man responsible for bringing the program to UBC) talks about problems in undergraduate education, and about how Arts 1 addresses those problems.
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