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I second Anne's concerns. I can't tell you how many times I've heard fellow grad students complain that they can't get any reading or writing done because they need to prepare for conferences and revise existing papers for publication and prep for teaching. A friend of mine once said to me, "you know, for one just one semester I'd like to be truly a full-time student". It would be sad to create the same situation at undergraduate level. At 01:00 PM 5/31/02 -0400, you wrote: >I have real qualms about the professionalization of undergrad studies: quite >apart from the concerns others have already expressed. Against current >trends, I >believe the university system these days is pushing even graduate students >into >giving papers at conferences, and submitting papers to journals, etc., too >soon >and too often; and an undergrad journal moves these pressures back even >further >into yet earlier academic years. Why should undergrads want to publish >academic >articles unless they are going to go on (to grad school, to journalism, >etc.)?--in which case they will be able to publish from these other venues >soon >enough (and with more to offer). Whatever happened to the idea of gradual >development? Moreover, undergrads thinking about going on to grad studies >should >be warned against starting a trend whereby, e.g., to get into MA/PhD programs >universities may start expecting undergrads to have published something >already. >Ratcheting up the pressures and demands associated with applying to and >getting >into grad schools is NOT a good idea. > >Anne Lancashire