The University of Hong Kong has rebuilt its curriculum from the ground up to embrace 'experiential learning' and internationalism so as to produce 'global citizens'. Hannah Fearn reports
Peter Lennox keeps chickens, and they have taught him a great deal about behaviour, ethics, evolution and the psychopathic nature of modern 'efficiency'
Ron Johnston's investigations into the impact of geography on democracy have revealed that people in the same class position tend to support different parties depending on where they live
When Bob Blaisdell was finally persuaded to use index cards for study, he became as obsessive about them as he was about the baseball cards of his youth
As universities agonise over greatly reduced funding from the state, David Greenaway reminds them that they were once much more financially self-reliant and would do well to rekindle the old spirit
Projects to boost staff wellbeing are all the rage, but some people wonder if the interest in workers' psychological health belies a rather less altruistic agenda. Melanie Newman reports
The universities that do well in Times Higher Education's Student Experience poll put students first, but as Rebecca Attwood learns, there is more than one way to do that
Many in the humanities feel that their disciplines and relevance are under attack. Matthew Reisz asks if 'the best that has been thought and said' still has a place in today's universities
Cheerless and drab but 'full of amazing stuff'. The British Library Newspapers collection at Colindale is moving and also becoming increasingly digitised. Huw Richards wonders if researchers will miss the feel of the paper beneath their fingers
For the young Robert Appelbaum, music was his guide, teaching him the language of life and leading him ever further away from the musicals of his parents to John Coltrane - and back
Bahram Bekhradnia discusses his experiences as an observer of Palestine's universities. Despite the manifold dangers posed by the Israeli occupation, they continue to succeed against the odds unbowed
A photography student's holiday snaps and a trip to the traffic-free streets of Mozambique led Caroline Knowles to embark on a project tracing the route to market of the common plastic flip-flop
The Copenhagen summit is in full force, and so too is the idea that man-made global warming is incontrovertible. But Martin Cohen argues that the consensus is less a triumph of science and rationality than of PR and fear-mongering
Sorcha Gunne and Zo? Brigley Thompson explain that they study rape and its narratives to understand and demythologise a difficult and unpleasant subject. But such is the taboo, it's tough to discuss their work openly
Goodbye, sweet Calliope, farewell Erato? In a consumerist world where speed and image rule, poetry's emotional meanings are being lost. Neil McBride muses, partly through verse, on the future of this embattled art
Bruno Cousin and Mich¨¨le Lamont say academics at France's public universities need to rethink their strategy after this year's protests alienated the public and had little impact on the Government
Some say mission groups help air vital issues collegially, but others think they selfishly expose the sector to divide-and-rule tactics. Melanie Newman looks at the group dynamics
Proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life may be closer than we think, thanks to a surge of research in astrobiology. Lewis Dartnell is determined to ascertain that we are not alone
Free, immediate and permanently available research results for all - that's what the open-access campaigners want. Unsurprisingly, the subscription publishers disagree. Zo? Corbyn weighs up the ramifications for journals, while Matthew Reisz asks how books will fare
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology pushes many boundaries. Zo? Corbyn visits Saudi Arabia to see how its vision of top-class research in a liberal environment is taking root
In preparing a biography of Braque, Alex Danchev explored the meaning of art and its makers. But upon finishing, he faced a much more personal question
China is hungry for Western-style universities, not least to fuel its economy. Phil Baty reports on the efforts to uproot corruption and bureaucracy and build a dynamic and vibrant world-class system
James T. Crouse finds himself in emotional conflict at Gettysburg, experiencing sadness at the loss suffered by the South, but relief that the outcome was the beginning of an end to slavery
Silicon Valley, a unique educational, research and industrial ecosystem, is feeling the recession. John Gilbey asks if its success can continue without sacrificing social commitments
Amanda Goodall's research - a mixture of detailed statistics and the fruits of her experience as an academic administrator - shows that just as star basketball players make the best coaches, scholars make the best v-cs. Matthew Reisz gets a lesson in leadership
Whatever the genuine lessons of history, policymakers constantly make opportunistic use of the past to justify their decisions. Matthew Reisz introduces a team of historians who are fighting back against the 'Bad History' all around us
Knowledge transfer is often perceived as a concept that is limited to science, but Hannah Fearn discovers it is equally relevant for the arts and humanities
When an expensive international experiment faced collapse, Don Braben and his collaborators, unfettered by micromanagement, pooled their intelligence and ingenuity to ensure success
From downloads of lectures to entire courses for free, Rebecca Attwood reports on how universities are fitting open educational resources into their missions and marketing
Tourists can now visit even the most far-flung destinations, but Judith Weingarten believes that one must settle in for a long stay to get a real sense of foreign lands
