Critique of Academia

[Papa Liam 960]

[!] This article is published as a standalone piece. You notice no affiliation with any larger institution, merely the signature of a smug, elitist elf.

 

Critique of Academia:

Why Historical Efforts to Formalize Academia Fail

Elibar'indor H. Hilea

64 2E

 

Abstract

This article analyzes the previous failures of academic institutions which have attempted to offer credentials to students. I thoroughly detail the flaws of defunct schools which have failed both to exist for a prolonged period of time and grant their students academic accreditation. Further, I propose potential solutions and a future framework to create academic institutions, one which can potentially withstand the test of time. The arguments made are elitist, cynical, and yet, still efficient enough to justify my blatantly smug sense of superiority.

 

Introduction

For as long as the descendents have been capable of transcribing their thoughts onto papyrus, sentient beings have occupied themselves with the pursuit of scholarship, knowledge, and research. After centuries of developing scholarly traditions in the pursuit of empirical answers and analyses, this history of “academia” has faced recent efforts to be institutionalized by said scholars and researchers. These efforts, however, have almost always encountered seemingly insurmountable obstacles to successfully sustaining a single institution. Rarely do we note examples where formalized academia has carried on a tradition of continuous research between generations of scholars, rather than transitioning from one failed school to the next. Rather, the case seems to be that an ambitious group of well-respected academics creates an institution, publishes some fairly impressive literature, and then interest in maintaining the institution is dismissed in favor of individual scholarly pursuits. While those individual scholars still go on to public impressive articles and theses, there are potential advantages to publishing under the auspices of a larger institution, namely the prestige one acquires from affiliation with a reputable school, and the opportunities to network with others of a similar intellectual caliber. Given these seemingly apparent advantages to formalizing academia, why have prior attempts failed? In this article, I contend that the system devised for academic accreditation and publishing is severely flawed, and discourages individuals from pursuing academics in an institutional setting.

 

Historical Context of Academic Institutions

Most institutional attempts to formalize academic pursuits have ended in dissolution, though not all. Of early attempts to formalize academic writings, those of the Wilven Sanctuary Monks have lasted the test of time. Though their involvement with the public periodically wanes, historical accounts from prior continents assert that their dedication to the preservation of texts in a politically neutral environment span back to the Cloud Temple in Aegis. While serving as a site for medical resurrection and magical imbuement, the temple also stored great wells of knowledge available to the public. Another notable example rests with the Library of Dragur, founded in Vailor by the notable Harbinger, Orithur. As a man of many trades, historical accounts of Orithur note his foundation of the Library of Dragur sometime in the 1550’s of the First Era, dedicated to the archival and further development of knowledge. The Library of Dragur held some of history’s most impressive collection of academic literature, all while sustaining assaults from the Canonist Church, magical antagonists, and other miscellaneous characters seeking to plunder the library for material, political, or theological reasons. The library was eventually disbanded upon the arrival of Atlas. Of all the institutions which have attempted to formalize academia, however, the most successful has been the Church of Canon. Acolytes in the faith have long been required to write and publish theses on a matter of ecclesial importance to begin their ascension to priesthood. Often, successful acolytes will synthesize matters of worldly topics with theological beliefs, making an argument which spurs some degree of discourse in the church. Although these pieces of literature have the tendency to be brief, they still represent the longest standing tradition of academic publishing in recorded history.

Of course, these relatively successful attempts of institutionalizing academia are the exceptions, as most efforts quickly fail. For instance, in Vailor, the “College of Skyfall” was an independent institution which represented a small gathering of scholars in a liberal arts environment. New members would study directly under an elder scholar, often of a magical nature, but accounts of historians and scientists also exist. Multiple imperial attempts have been made to create academic institutions, including the Johannesburg Conservatoire in the 1590’s. The project represented the first historical attempt to grant academic accreditation to students, but ultimately folded within two decades (possibly due, however, to political sabotage. The conservatoire was founded by the notorious Bell Sano, often targeted by the Imperial Anti-Orenian Activities Committee for his earlier involvement in attempts to radicalize denizens of the Empire). Slightly more successful attempts would follow, such as a promising project in the Republic of Holm in 1648. As an institution in a racially diverse trade city with no affiliation to other political entities (though the city’s political allegiance was often swayed by the Dwarven elite), the Academy of Holm attracted students from all reaches of Atlas. This school, too, granted academic accreditation to students, and awarded degrees in a wide array of subjects. Historical accounts detail that degrees were awarded in alchemy, metallurgy, political science, Holmite law, medicine, linguistics, and various subfields of history. It became a major employer in the city, hiring some of the most renowned scholars of the time. The academy lasted three semesters before its eventual closure due to a lack of students.

On Almaris, contemporary attempts have been made by the Northern Geographic Society and the Order of Remembrancers. As I understand it, the Order has attempted to emulate the structure and intention of the Library of Dragur, acting as a central source of literature for the continent. The NGS, however, has a higher degree of novelty; their intention originated not with the desire to grant degrees or host lectures, but as a group of expeditioners who would document their ventures. While still retaining their original purpose, the society later evolved into a catch-all for academics and scholars to publish their work and collaborate with other like minded individuals. Attempts were made to award academic degrees, but their efforts, too, were abandoned. The NGS, admirable as it is, has fallen short at creating a formal system to accredit scholars and capitalize on the aforementioned advantages of institutionalizing academia. This is all to say that, while attempts to institutionalize academia have come a long way since the Wilven Sanctuary Monks of Aegis, why have we not yet seen prolonged periods of success for these highly formalized projects?

 

Scheduled Lectures

Many of the aforementioned institutions (The Johannesburg Conservatoire, Academy of Holm, Skyfall) would require the attendance of scheduled classes and lectures to attain academic prestige and accreditation. There is an inevitable issue with requiring individuals to attend a regular class, in that many individuals are not full-time students. By and large, those aspiring to earn an academic degree were already active in other affairs. Statesmen, lawyers, soldiers, and sometimes royalty were among the population of students who would attend these institutions, and their lives are subject to other demands which can be volatile. Thus, degrees via lecture hardly work. The advantages of lectures are apparent; a session in which the student is given an opportunity to have complex matters articulated to them is of utmost importance, and doing so in a lecture hall with multiple students is economically efficient for all parties involved. However, this system disadvantages more students than it would otherwise help. Mandating that students attend lectures is a waste of time, though extracurricular lectures and events would still enrich the academic community.

 

Accreditation

The creation of an accreditation system should be a priority for the academic community. Degrees provide individuals not only with evidence of their scholarly achievements, but also serves as a goalpost for ambitious students to join the ranks of “the intellectual.” Indeed, the academic community has created a great deal of prestige amongst the inner-circles of certain disciplines in select cultures, particularly of the imperial variant. Although some may debate the merits of making academia a prestigious institution or practice, the scholarly community as a whole ought to capitalize on such and make accreditation a symbol of intellectual prestige. This may come off as elitist, but a degree should serve as an all-access pass to “the guild” of academia, as to weed out any academics who are unable to contribute something of true substance to the academic community. It is not my intention to exclude any individual on the basis of their background or character, I truly do encourage all aspiring scholars to pursue academic accreditation on the merit of their work; though, if we are lenient with who we allow into “the guild,” the market for academics becomes oversaturated, and we are less able to focus our attention on the most influential and impactful scholars, as we’d be too busy rummaging through inadequate literature.

The institution by which accreditation is granted is unclear. The obvious answer may be to model accreditation based off of prior attempts, by simply allowing a host institution to grant their students degrees in exchange for academic work. This, however, can create grave issues when an institution doesn’t have a monopoly on the academic market (the NGS is a major force in academia, but surely, if a system of accreditation were ever resumed then other scholarly groups would also seek to grant degrees to their circle). Multiple institutions granted with the independent authority to declare degree holders would oversaturate the world with accredited scholars, as each institution manages to broaden the amount of members on their “team.” Rather, an equitable solution may be to make a Congress of Scholars composed of all advanced degree holders from all institutions to facilitate the processing and awarding of academic credentials. Of course, another avenue is to have the state facilitate academic credentials, which the Holy Orenian Empire currently does through the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Although efficient for the state’s interests (and admittedly efficient), the academic community ought to be the one to evaluate scholarly work, not bureaucrats. A mixture of all the prior solutions to accreditation could be the answer to creating an avenue to formal credentials. No matter the solution, accreditation should still be a desirable goal for contemporary and future academic institutions. The formalization of scholarly literature serves to benefit the community and society as a whole. Though, if coursework continues to be an inefficient solution to providing a formal education, the answer must instead reside in academic mentorships.

 

Mentorship

The Northern Geographical Society had come the closest to creating an efficient system for granting deserving academics their degrees. Rather than scheduling classes, students would be assigned a mentor in their field and assigned literature to learn about the theoretical knowledge in their discipline. Further, they would be asked to publish a series of articles in a variety of subjects to acquire a standard degree in a broad subject (i.e. the social sciences, law, etc). Advanced degrees would require additional writing of a higher caliber.

This system apparently became too much to maintain, but I contend that with proper pedagogical management, we can institutionalize academia more efficiently. I stress that there should only be two academic degrees, rather than the four or five which defunct institutions have proposed. One degree should entail that a student has successfully reviewed, summarized, and demonstrated their proficiency in the relevant literature of their discipline. This degree would not serve as a pass to participate in “the guild” of academia, but rather as proof that they have obtained the baseline knowledge in their field, and as a stepping stone to pursue more advanced degrees if they so choose.

The second degree would entail that the student has not only mastered the theoretical knowledge in their discipline, but has also contributed novel literature and research to the field. I do prefer the Universitas Magistrorum’s term for this, modeling this degree after their “doctorate.” Novelty should be stressed; students should have to synthesize unique perspectives and original research in order to acquire such a doctorate. Those that are granted entry to insider academic circles should demonstrate that they are not merely a student anymore, but one who can make novel contributions to their field. True, the extent to which something is considered “novel” will vary by discipline. Political theorists will likely have to spend countless hours reviewing prior literature only to create new heuristic devices, whereas those in alchemy would be expected to elaborate on the recipes or scientific uses of ingredients or alchemical potions.

To pursue either degree, individuals should be assigned to mentors, as the NGS had previously done. Having a mentor who has already earned their doctorate ensures that a qualified scholar is giving proper guidance to students entering the field, all while avoiding the necessity of coordinating formal classes and lectures. Further, the curriculum of the student is tailored towards their specific needs, rather than sharing in a lecture designed to address a broad array of academic interests. Obtaining the first degree ought to be no trivial feat, but should also be straightforth. It should merely require the approval of their mentor and the institution’s chief academic. The doctorate, on the other hand, may require more safeguarding to ensure only the most worthy scholars are capable of navigating the process. Potential doctorates should be expected to write a piece of literature that is of great length, high quality, and contributes something of great novelty to their field. This literature should then be extensively reviewed by scholars who have knowledge of the candidate’s subject area (possibly pulled from the aforementioned Congress of Scholars) and should determine if the candidate is capable of being an active and qualified scholar. Then, a proper community of academics who have been screened by the rest of the community may freely exchange their knowledge in the most efficient manner possible.

 

Conclusion

This is a controversial proposal. Accreditation intentionally acts as a gatekeeping agent for those aspiring for an academic career. However, the benefits of systematic accreditation far outweigh the costs of exclusion. The academic community would make the most of our finite time by spending it only on the most qualified individuals, and our publications would be of a higher caliber, which would subsequently be reflected on the rest of society who may freely benefit from our literature. True, I am an economist, so I may be biased in my prioritization of efficiency over exclusion; nonetheless, this system sacrifices the mere participation of the weakest links in favor of a stronger, sustainable, and superior academic institution.

[TryaxReck 377]

A group of peasants looked at the missive. With all their efforts, they managed to decipher the large print at the top of it: "Critique of Academia." Attempts at deciphering the finer text led to curses, insults, and one fist-fight.

                   [!] "Finalley, someone is telling those intellectuals who's who!"



      [!] "Ohohoh, I bet this has some juicy stuff in it! I bet they're stuffing it to that damned geography survey, or whatever they call it."


 [!] "You know, they should start makin' critiques on those cityfolk and their socialism. Life ain't a social party! Get real." 

Edited February 18, 2022 by TryaxReck

[esterhase 164]

"Strange. I didn't see you at Southbridge!" Comments Hugh Bloom as he reads the blogpost. "If you are trying to be a mincing intellectual that can't hold a sword, I think you are three emperors too late. You are an anachronism, little poofter out of time. Take your wig off and put your cuirass on."