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Ralph J Hodosh's avatar

Another step in the right direction for higher education would be to increase the liberal arts requirements for science and engineering majors and the science and technology requirements for liberal arts majors. Liberal arts majors should, for example, graduate with an understanding of basic statistics and the scientific method. Engineering and science majors should not have to go to graduate school to learn how to write a complete sentence and a coherent paragraph.

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Geoff Nathan's avatar

Interesting discussion, but some of your facts are wrong. I disagree that the 'The typical professor publishes a tiny number of articles in their entire career, sometimes as little as one.'

Not in any university I've ever been associated with. You need an average of a paper a year in the Humanities and Social Sciences, continuously, at least until you reach full professor--seven to fourteen years, or more. In the sciences the numbers are much higher. For some humanities a book can replace several articles. And you won't get a raise unless you keep that rate up, even after you make Full.

Most professors I know, and whose CV's I've read, have at least fifty or so by they time they retire.

My experience includes flagship state universities and second level universities in several other states.

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