Why does Hanif Kureishi think his creative writing students are talentless?
The author has a noble calling as professor of creative writing at Kingston University. So why does he think most people doing his course are wasting their time?
12 Years a Slave to be part of US national curriculum
Steve McQueen's Oscar-tipped film to become mandatory viewing for American state-educated teenagers
John Pickstone obituary
Historian who founded the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester
Richard Hart obituary
Other lives: Key figure in the West Indian trade union movement and nationalist politics, who became an influential historian of the Caribbean
The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld – review
This pseudo-scientific account of why certain ethnic groups prosper is a joke, writes Catherine Bennett
Craft Computer Club aims to raise £35k to teach kids coding through papercraft
STEM ambassador Dan Bridge turns to Kickstarter to help fund book and online community around paper models. By Stuart Dredge
Appreciation: Stuart Hall, 1932-2014
Martin Jacques, the former editor of Marxism Today, considers the impact of sociologist and cultural theorist Stuart Hall
The Rev Nick Earle obituary
Other lives: Mathematician and theologian who wrote many books on philosophy and Christianity
Stuart Hall’s cultural legacy: Britain under the microscope
Stuart Jeffries: The so-called 'godfather of multiculturalism' changed Britain for the better even while he showed us the ugly truth about our racist society
Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? – Berlin 2014: first look review
Michel Gondry tries to get to grips with Noam Chomsky's philosophical and linguistic theories in this entertaining, part-animated interview
Hello Ruby kids’ coding book raises $185k (and counting) on Kickstarter
'I really thought this would be a little art project,' says Linda Liukas, after crowdfunding project beats original $10k goal. By Stuart Dredge
David Harris obituary
Academic whose worldwide studies shed new light on the complexity and origins of farming
I wrote the Anarchist Cookbook in 1969. Now I see its premise as flawed
William Powell: When I penned the book, I was angry and alienated. Today I realize that violence can't be used to prevent violence
The rules regarding words, and a word regarding rules
From Snoop to Shakespeare, the tricks of rhetoric serve playwrights, singers, politicians and evangelists equally well, writes Mark Forsyth
Kindles makes up for lack of books in Ghana’s reading revolution
Guardian Christmas appeal: school turns to technology to tackle poor literacy among students – and achieves remarkable results