[ARENA] Philosophy Dept. at Middlesex University - Support Letter

[UNNEEDED OFFICE]

Dear all
Here you have the letter we'd approved to support Philosophy Dept. at  
Middlesex University
Kind regards

Fernando José Pereira and Miguel Leal


The abrupt closure of the Philosophy programmes at Middlesex  
University is a matter of national and indeed international concern.  
Not only does it flatly contradict the stated commitment of  
Middlesex  University to promote 'research excellence', it represents  
a startling and perhaps irreversible stage in the ongoing  
impoverishment of Philosophy provision in the UK.

The Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy (http://  
www.web.mdx.ac.uk/crmep/ )  at Middlesex makes a significant and  
distinctive contribution to the teaching of philosophy in the UK. Its  
set of MA programmes is currently the largest in the UK, and  
Philosophy is the highest research-rated subject at the University.

  The CRMEP is now widely recognised as one of the most important  
centres for the study of modern European philosophy anywhere in the  
English-speaking world. Building on its grade of 5 in the 2001  
Research Assessment Exercise, in the 2008 RAE Middlesex was rated  
first in philosophy among post-1992 universities, with 65% of its   
research activity judged ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

  More importantly, work carried out at the CRMEP is characterised by  
a unique emphasis on broad cultural, artistic and intellectual  
contexts, and a marked sense of social and political engagement.

Middlesex Philosophy is one of only a handful of programmes left in   
the UK that provides both research-driven and inclusive post-graduate  
teaching aimed at a wide range of students, specialist and non- 
specialist. It also happens to generate a substantial amount of  
surplus revenue for the University, currently contributing close to  
half of its total income to the University's central administration.

Middlesex University has decided to close its CRMEP in the complete  
absence of any persuasive academic or economic rationale. We, the  
Intermedia Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University  
of Oporto as organizers of the "Unneeded Conversations" conferences  
call on Middlesex University to reverse this damaging and ill-judged  
decision to close its Philosophy programmes, and to renew its  
commitment to widening participation in education and to excellence  
in research. For that purpose we had proposed to the public of the  
conferences, which took place last week, a massive vote on support of  
the CRMEP which was received with unanimity and acclamation. We  
intend to send this letter as well as the images of the vote to all  
the other departments on Portuguese Universities. We had opened also  
a specific page in our site with all the materials  under the title  
'Save Middlesex'.

Porto, May, 20, 2010.

The Intermedia Group of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of  
Porto, Portugal



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UNNEEDED CONVERSATIONS - Practice and Theory of Art
Part One | Porto, 10th-15th May 2010
<http://unneeded.fba.up.pt/>
<office  unneeded.virose.pt>

Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto | Faculty of Fine  
Arts - University of Porto
Avenida Rodrigues de Freitas - 265  |  4049-021 Porto Portugal
Room PA 406
http://www.fba.up.pt
t: +351 225192400
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