Research and teaching: a holy or an unholy alliance?
dc.contributor.author
dc.date.accessioned
2009-05-20T11:23:59Z
dc.date.available
2009-05-20T11:23:59Z
dc.date.issued
2009-05-06
dc.identifier.citation
Barnett, R. (2009). Research and teaching: a holy or an unholy alliance? A 'CIDUI 2009. Docència, recerca i aprenentatge'. Barcelona: CIDUI. [Consulta 20 maig 2009]. Disponible a: http://hdl.handle.net/10256/1468
dc.identifier.isbn
978-84-8458-287-8
dc.identifier.uri
dc.description.abstract
Much of the self-image of the Western university hangs on the idea that research and teaching are intimately connected. The central axiom here is that research and teaching are mutually
supportive of each other. An institution lacking such a set of relationships between research and teaching falls short of what it means to be a university. This set of beliefs raises certain questions: Is it the case that the presence of such a mutually supportive set of relationships between research and teaching is a necessary condition of the fulfilment of the idea of the university? (A conceptual question). And is it true that, in practice today, such a mutually supportive set of relationships between research and teaching characterises universities? (An empirical question). In my talk, I want to explore these matters in a critical vein. I shall suggest that: a) In practice today, such a mutually supportive set of relationships between research and teaching is in jeopardy. Far from supporting each other, very often research and teaching contend against each other. Research and teaching are becoming two separate ideologies, with their own interest structures. b) Historically, the supposed tight link between research and teaching is both of recent origin and far from universally achieved in universities. Institutional separateness between research and teaching is and has been evident, both across institutions and
even across departments in the same institution. c) Conceptually, research and teaching are different activities: each is complex and neither is reducible to the other. In theory, therefore, research and teaching may be said to constitute a holy alliance but in practice, we see more of an unholy alliance. If, then, in an ideal world, a positive relationship between research and teaching is still a worthwhile goal, how might it be construed and worked for? Seeing research and teaching as two discrete and unified sets of activity is now inadequate. Much better is a construal of research and teaching as themselves complexes, as intermingling pools of activity helping to form the liquid university that is emerging today. On this view, research and teaching are fluid spaces, ever on the move, taking up new shapes, and themselves dividing and reforming, as the university reworks its own destiny in modern society. On such a perspective, working out a productive relationship between research and teaching is
a complex project. This is an alliance that is neither holy nor unholy. It is an uneasy alliance, with temporary accommodations and continuous new possibilities
dc.format.mimetype
application/pdf
dc.language.iso
eng
dc.publisher
Congrés Internacional de Docència Universitària i Innovació
dc.relation.ispartofseries
CIDUI 2009. Docència, recerca i aprenentatge
dc.rights
Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència Creative Commons: Reconeixement – No comercial – Compartir igual (by-nc-sa)
dc.rights.uri
dc.subject
dc.title
Research and teaching: a holy or an unholy alliance?
dc.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/lecture
dc.rights.accessRights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess