Philosophy department offers services

In the latest issue of the academic review magazine Lingua Franca, Frank Lentricchia, a professor of literature at the University, declares that: "An advanced literature department is the place where you can write a dissertation on Wittgenstein and never have to face an examiner from the philosophy department. An advanced literature department is the place where you may speak endlessly about gender and never have to face the scrutiny of a biologist, because gender is just a social construction and nature doesn't exist."

I cannot speak on behalf of the biology department, but certainly we in the philosophy department at the University are more than willing to carefully examine all dissertations written for the literature department, to ensure that they come up to scratch, if he so wishes.

Of course, it would only be fair that, if we did so, we would receive the proper amount of money for the work, in addition to offices, perhaps a photocopier, some computers and some work-study undergraduates.

Indeed, provided that he can come up with enough money, we would be more than willing to take over the work of the literature department entirely.

In trying days such as these, with academic jobs hard to come by, it would be a heartening thought that the literature department might want to pack up its bags and hand over the work, as well as the extra office space, to us. Professor Lentricchia, our door is always open.

James Mahon

Graduate student

Department of Philosophy