I had the same dilemma (in my previous College English class): whether or not what I was writing tones with the standards of academic writing. Of course, such question also begs the question of what really consists in describing something as academic, a word which is more elusive in its essence as it is--and should be--intelligible to those who are thriving in the academic world, i.e., scholars, students, teachers. Also, to brand something as ACADEMIC may now equivocate the outright telling of that something as snooty or standoffish, if not boring. Its just saddening that societies (read: plural!) are gradually nearing themselves to the precipice of anti-intellectualism. Anyhow... The most stinging dismissal of a point is to say: “That’s academic.” In other words, to be a scholar is, often, to be irrelevant. ... A basic challenge is that Ph.D. programs have fostered a culture that glorifies arcane unintelligibility while disdaining impact and audience. This culture of exclusivity is then transmitted to the next generation through the publish-or-perish tenure process. Rebels are too often crushed or driven away. A related problem is that academics seeking tenure must encode their insights into turgid prose. As a double protection against public consumption, this gobbledygook is then sometimes hidden in obscure journals — or published by university presses whose reputations for soporifics keep readers at a distance. Read more: Professors, We Need You by Nicholas Kristof | NYTimes nytimes/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-professors-we-need-you.html?_r=0
Posted on: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 16:58:46 +0000
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