A reader wrote the following, in response to Monday’s post, “When Curriculum Should Contract“:

At least part of the reason for the present situation is the need for Ph.D. candidates in the humanities to find “new” areas in which to do their dissertations. So you end up with people who only want to teach courses in ancient gynecology or whatever that was. Because that’s what they know all about.
Margaret L. Snyder, Moravian College