Wow, I used to think the performers on SNL must be smart, thoughtful people (for the most part, minus the obvious assholes). Not anymore.

Same (LSE grad here, used to do humanitarian field work). I applaud Angelina Jolie’s apparently serious and heartfelt involvement in these issues, which she is uniquely well positioned to spotlight to the general public, but there are literally thousands better-qualified individuals out there to teach at graduate…

I don’t doubt her good intentions either, but I think that her visits to refugee camps benefit her more than anyone else, including the refugees, and teaching at LSE will do the same.

They won’t lose or gain much, but what has happened is that these kinds of celebrity posts have changed the culture and ethos of the academy in key ways that have been quite detrimental. Yes, she brings attention, she may bring some experience knowledge (not much frankly), but she doesnt actully bring much policy…

Im familiar with it, as am based at a UK university and have ties to LSE (as an academic.) This is why I don’t blame her, I blame the UK university infrastructure that has turned into a pay for play shitshow.

Because while MAs in the UK (and increasingly in the US) are more or less tuition-feeders for schools, she will have come into the field with a recognition of all the scholars, and hard intellectual labour, of people who have been thinking and working on these issues. Yeah, she helped fund the Centre, so what? People…

I would respect her more if she actually applied to get an MA in Women, Peace, and Security at LSE.

Same. 4th year PhD candidate. Two kids. Husband with PhD who is much more academically productive than me just spent one year applying before getting a temporary research fellowship. Visiting Prof my ass.

I like the openness to non-PhD’s - it just seems that Jolie’s star power was a significant part of the calculation. The LSE could have used their gravitas to boost women with greater lived experience.

And I truly believe that people without advanced degrees have a valuable and important contribution to make, but not as an academic. My husband never finished college and is one of the smartest people I know, but he would never claim to have earned a prestigious spot at a top educational institution without ever…

Nothing - I’m a big fan of what Jolie does. I’m just a little more skeptical of using her as a faculty member instead of - say - a woman academic actually FROM one of these war-torn countries. It seems a little cynical and not really inclusive on the part of the university, seeing that Jolie has neither academic…

Agreed. I don’t have a problem with her but it grinds my gears a little for her to be lecturing on economics at a university, with few credentials beyond celebrity.

Absolutely! She has a high school diploma. If I were a PhD in that field, I’d despair.

So true. She has a world platform at any time to forward refugee issues, but this way she gets the prestige. So shitty.

Like Natalie Portman lecturing on terrorism for Alan Dershowitz based on ... living in Israel? I’m sorry; I even feel bad for writing this since I know that she is a highly intelligent academic but I will never get over that.

I don’t doubt her good intentions either, but I think that her visits to refugee camps benefit her more than anyone else, including the refugees, and teaching at LSE will do the same. I’m fairly certain that the students will not be getting the full value of their tuition.

Yep!! And so many people who don’t get tenure even after all that work!

I was just typing a similar comment until I scrolled and saw yours. Here I am supporting my family, under intense pressure to finish my dissertation so I can be “legitimate” and also trying to be a good mom to my kids while we have zero savings or resources and someone just fucking hands it to her because she is rich,…

Seriously, I don’t doubt her good intentions here, and maybe this enables a program to get off the ground that might not have without her name behind it, but Angelina Jolie is about as qualified to be a professor at LSE as Donald Trump is to be President of the United States.

So many people have devoted 25+ years of their lives to obtaining a PhD, academic research, and writing to teach at a world renowned university. If Angelina Jolie was teaching my class I would want my money back.