Angelina Jolie lecturing at LSE- what do you think?

[WhoDoDatLikeDat]

Sorry for the Fail link but I saw this today and wondered what the academics of MN made of it?

Clearly LSE are doing it for publicity and they've not got a great track record in the quality of people they let in/through if there's money in it.

But it made me sad - at a time when the whole HE sector is looking at increased flexibilisation, wage stagnation for most, massive pay inequalities between highest and lowest paid employees, increased surveillance through metricisation and increased tuition fees for students, I just thought flying in a celebrity was a bit depressing. There's no way (I assume) she'll have the same pressures we do.

I don't know, I can't put my finger on it. I feel we work hard as academics and have to do a lot of invisible shit work to get teaching out there (prepare reading lists, update VLEs, liaise with the library, answer constant stupid emails from students etc...) but that all fades by comparison when you've got a celebrity on stage.

Sorry, all a bit ranty

[shovetheholly]

This annoys me. I don't just mean her personally giving a one-off lecture, I mean the whole hiring of people on a more permanent basis, on the grounds of celebrity or professional/political status without any publications or academic experience.

I know of a place where a politician was recently hired without any consultation with the HoD or staff, over people who had been there for years. I know of cases where friends who have slogged over really great PhDs have been sidelined for people who are journos. And now celebs too. It makes me cross.

[TasLondon]

It's the Daily Fail tho, innit? Angelina Jolie fits the LSE description of a Visiting Professor in Practice, "LSE confers the title of Visiting Professor in Practice on persons who have appropriate distinction within their area of (non-academic) practice" tinyurl.com/lnumsmt and is just as experienced, in her field, as others who give guest lectures, just perhaps not as photogenic.

[GameOldBirdz]

dinobum Same!

[dinobum]

Doesn't oxford union have regular celeb speakers? Same as that I guess. My students probably couldn't be bothered anyway and would just ask if the recording was going up on moodle so they could watch it later

[GameOldBirdz]

I would rather listen to someone like her who has been out into the world and seen first hand. Who has spoken to victims of war etc. than listen to some lecturer who relies on books and others experiences.

And what makes you think hey have flown her out? Private jet owning in the U.K. for her other humanitarian work

Academics have been out 'into the world', it's what our research is based on. We do so in an ethical, reflexive way. We'd love to rock up and just talk about our experiences but unfortunately research has to be pushed through the funnel of academic publishing which, I think, stifles creativity.

I didn't mean flown her out literally. I used the term 'flying in' to highlight that she'd show up for one day, talk about her thoughts and feelings and then bugger off. There'd be no prepared reading list, no lecture notes needing to be on VLE at least 24 hours in advance, no student follow up emails etc..

[Foureyesarebetterthantwo]

I used to work for the LSE public lecture series when I was a student there, and the competition among members of the public to get a seat was unbelievable, they would push and shove each other, use the 'don't you know who I am', 'I've been coming here for 20 years'. It was a bun fight! I'm sure Angelina's lecture was more tightly controlled (I don't think it was a public lecture anyway if to post-grads).

[Foureyesarebetterthantwo]

We are encouraged to get guest speakers into our modules!

The LSE has a long history of running public free lectures, their lecture series is usually outstanding and has seen many heavyweight politicians, writers and CEOs of third sector organizations come over the years (including the PM if the security was tight enough), I see it more in that vein than in her trying to pretend to be an academic.

[MaudGonneMad]

What makes you think academics don't do fieldwork, bloodyteenagers?

[bloodyteenagers]

I would rather listen to someone like her who has been out into the world and seen first hand. Who has spoken to victims of war etc. than listen to some lecturer who relies on books and others experiences.

And what makes you think hey have flown her out? Private jet owning in the U.K. for her other humanitarian work.

[offblackeggshell]

I don't think she is presenting herself as an academic in any way. I think she has probably learnt an enormous amount through her work with Unicef that would be good to share. I'd be looking at it as adding to the rich tapestry of learning available to students, and not in any way as a threat to academics.

[WhoDoDatLikeDat]

2014 I'm an over-worked and under-valued academic, of course I'm grumpy!

[2014newme]

Get real. 🙄She isn't taking the place of a hard done by lecturer. Universities have international speakers all the time. Of course they don't have the same pressures, they are not employed by the university as academics. Angelina won't be assessing work will she? she won't have a tutor group.
Why should she not speak? I imagine she would be engaging and interesting.
You sound grumpy and jealous. I don't work in a university but if Angelina cane to my workplace I would not be complaining that she didn't have the same job pressure as me! Sure she has plenty of other pressures in het job and life.

[NewIdeasToday]

".....answer constant stupid emails from students...."

Maybe time for you to look for a new job if this one is so bad?

[derxa]

I can't abide her.

[GinAndTunic]

I don't see the big deal, to be honest. She has an unpaid fellowship and is required only to give at least one lecture in one module to post-grads. It's more of a one-off guest lecturer role than anything else.