Humanities staff attack College day proposals
Criticisms made in letter hand-delivered to the Felix office
Staff from the Humanities Department have attacked the proposed changes to the College day, saying that there are “serious reasons why [the proposals] will not work” and suggesting that they marginalise and devalue humanities courses.
The letter, signed ‘Staff of the Humanities Department’, argues that “no other department would schedule classes at the end of a long and hard day” and questions whether the “technical and admininstrative staff” will be there to support classes later in the evening. The proposals as they currently stand would see humanities courses scheduled from 5–7pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, as well as from 12–2pm on Mondays and Fridays. In addition the proposals suggest allowing exams to be scheduled on Saturdays in exceptional circumstances and reducing the amount of time allocated for lunch to one hour. by allowing departments to schedule classes during the current two-hour lunch break.
A member of staff from the Humanities Department, who wished to remain anonymous, hand-delivered the letter to the Felix office on the 2nd of June. The letter also criticised Felix’s position on the proposals, voicing concern that Felix would accept the plan if the details were worked out satisfactorily. In an editorial on the 27th of May, Felix argued that “the proposals [...] are a step in the right direction” and that if the proposals provided the appropriate safeguards, “Felix will support the changes”.
Professor Dorothy Griffiths, who chairs the College Day Working Group behind the proposals, said that it was “premature” to respond to letters as “we are simply discussing ideas at the moment.” She said that the “Working Group recognises and values the role of Humanities in the College” but added that the current timetabling issues “need to be resolved.”
Professor Andrew Warwick, the Head of the Humanities Department, did not respond to questions about whether he supported or was aware of the letter, or whether he supported the proposed timetable changes as they currently stand.
