Mickey Mouse degrees

Mickey Mouse degrees is the dysphemism built from the common usage of the term "Mickey Mouse" as a pejorative. It came to prominence in the UK after use by the national tabloids of the United Kingdom to label certain university degree courses worthless or irrelevant.

Origins

The term was used by education minister Margaret Hodge, during a discussion on higher education expansion.^[1] Hodge defined a Mickey Mouse course as "one where the content is perhaps not as rigorous as one would expect and where the degree itself may not have huge relevance in the labour market"; and that, furthermore, "simply stacking up numbers on Mickey Mouse courses is not acceptable". This opinion is often raised in the summer when exam results are released and new university courses revealed. The phrase took off in the late 1990s, as the Labour government created the target of having 50% of students in higher education by 2010.^[2]

A more critical interpretation of the epithet is that it stems from a general tabloid and folk conflation and reaction to several aspects of academic interest in the latter half of the twentieth century. Such examples include the publication of Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart's political analysis of colonialism and cultural imperialism in How to Read Donald Duck and the endowing of the Disney Chair at Cambridge University with the creation of the Disney Professor of Archaeology in 1851 (John Disney in fact having no relation to Walt Disney).

Examples

In 2000, Staffordshire University was mocked as providing 'David Beckham Studies' because it provided a module on the sociological importance of football to students taking sociology, sports science or media studies.^[3]

Other degrees deemed 'Mickey Mouse' include golf management and surf science.^[4] One thing these courses share is that they are vocational, which are seen to be less intellectually rigorous than the traditional academic degrees.^[4] Perception has not been helped in the United Kingdom by the conversion of polytechnics to New Universities.^[4] These universities then have trouble competing with the more established institutions instead of being judged as polytechnic universities (though some Polytechnics have been around since 1838 - London Polytechnic).

Defenders of these courses object that the derogatory comments made in the media rely on the low symbolic capital of new subjects and rarely discuss course contents beyond the titles.^[1] Another factor is the correct or incorrect perception that the take up of these subjects, and the decline of more traditional academic subjects,^[5] is causing the predictable annual grade rise in the United Kingdom.

Although it is perceived as a recent phenomenon, accusations of "dumbing down" have historical roots. In 1828, University College London was criticised for teaching English literature, a subject which has now become relatively prestigious.^[6]

A-level subjects and "soft options"

The A-level in General Studies is seen as a Mickey Mouse subject,^[4] as well as A-level Critical Thinking, with many universities not accepting it as part of the requirements for an offer.

Additionally, although not considered Mickey Mouse subjects as such, some qualifications are not preferred by top universities and are regarded as "soft options".^[7] A 2007 report stated that the sciences were more challenging than subjects such as English, which might be taken by students to get higher grades for university applications.^[8] An American example is a degree in physical education. These have been issued to members of the college's athletics teams, to make them eligible to play; otherwise they would fail to pass traditional subjects.^[9]

See also

• Academic inflation
• Media studies
• Academic degree
• Scholarly method
• List of Advanced Level subjects
• Diploma mill
• Underwater basket weaving

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "'Irresponsible' Hodge under fire", BBC News, 14 January 2003. URL accessed on 24 June 2006.
2. ^ "50% higher education target doomed, says thinktank", EducationGuardian.co.uk, 14 July 2005. URL accessed on 24 June 2006.
3. ^ "Beckham in degree course", BBC News, 29 March 2000. URL accessed on 24 June 2006.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} "Taking the mick", EducationGuardian.co.uk, 15 January 2003. URL accessed on 24 June 2006.
5. ^ "A-level pupils urged to spurn 'soft' subjects", EducationGuardian.co.uk, 12 August 2005. URL accessed on 24 June 2006.
6. ^ "A Mirror to Society", Ideasfactory. URL accessed on 24 June 2006.
7. ^ How to apply: A level subjects", London School of Economics. URL accessed on 19 July 2008.
8. ^ Too many pupils taking 'easy' A-levels | UK News | The Observer
9. ^ These were derided when a character in NCIS, special agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo announced that he had a degree in "phys ed" (as he abbreviated it).^{[citation needed]}

External links

• Tutors feel need to boost grades Excerpt from a BBC documentary about Higher Education Standards.