Last night's @BBCFreeThinking 'What use is a university arts education?' was deeply frustrating. @JosieAFraser & @geoffmulgan peddling the tired idea that arts & humanities don't "contribute" to society, aren't "useful" – this was backed up by personal opinion, not facts 1/

Before the strike ( #UCUStrike ) my brilliant @NCL_English students asked me to send them some reports so they have evidence to show the naysayers that their degree is *important* and – oh yes – USEFUL & VALUABLE: https://ahrc.ukri.org/documents/publications/cultural-value-project-final-report/;
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/exploring-value-arts-and-culture/value-arts-and-culture-people-and-society 2/

Plus this @WHO_Europe report proving the link between art and health – pretty useful, right? Quite a big contribution: http://www.euro.who.int/en/publications/abstracts/what-is-the-evidence-on-the-role-of-the-arts-in-improving-health-and-well-being-a-scoping-review-2019
+ reading is proven to improve mental wellbeing & reading to children helps them develop speech & creativity. I could go on. 3/

The strike has left me feeling quite deflated (& I don't even have it "that bad") & this feature made me feel even more demoralised. Up until a year ago I was convinced of the necessity of the arts. But end of/post-PhD, working 3–4 jobs, I felt "what's the point? no one cares" 4/

Sorry for the self-pity() – but the conversations we have in/beyond class *matter*. I'm #striking because I do still care. We need arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM, all of it. Let's work together instead of going on the BBC & questioning the "use" of an English degree 5/

FINALLY we need words other than value/worth, words which don't revolve around money. Not everything has to make loads of money. And what does "useful" even mean? Sometimes finding joy in a poem or a painting is enough – an unquantifiable contribution. 6/