Courses and Teaching Fields Being Cut, Whether Due to Covid, or Other Reasons...

[mamselle]

I just signed a petition at a friend's suggestion to reverse cuts in musicology and music ethnology at Monash.

It may seem esoteric to some, but the very point of music ethnology is the introduction (especially to American students) of music from other cultures (hence serving diversity goals). And while the some of the older versions of musicology courses were very focused on Western medieval chant, that hasn't been true for at least a couple of decades.

The link is here:
   
https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/reverse-the-music-course-cuts-at-monash-university?share=76234139-890c-41e0-b0c3-eb13d634aeaa&source=email-share-button&utm_medium=&utm_source=email

It made me wonder how may other situations now exist where whole programs are being axed, or what are (for their subfield) significant course cuts threaten the viability of a whole program.

I know we've seen references to them on various threads, but I don't think there's any one thread (besides Dire Straits) that documents them per se.

So, just thought I'd put this forward.

M.

[traductio]

I misread the shortened title as, "Curses! And teaching -- Fie!"

Perhaps I am projecting.

[mamselle]

No, nay , never!

M.

[polly_mer]

The question isn't whether any particular subfield is valuable.  The question is whether every program that currently exists should continue to exist or whether resources and people should be consolidated into fewer, but better, programs.

Essentially acting like hoarders to preserve everything regardless of current local viability means having the 'house' so packed with stuff that even the treasures are lost in the shuffle and at great risk of being ruined by the packed hording instead of mindfully curating with an eye towards a true valuable collection.