Reform UK’s disavowal of “Mickey Mouse degrees” (Report, 20 August) prompts me to disclose my own proposed thesis subject at the Suella Braverman Institute of Culture and Media Studies: “Do the Runaways, Cheap Trick, and Van Halen form three distinct subgenres in late 70s/early 80s rock music?”
Consider the rigorous training such a study would provide for modern working life. First, archival work in NME and Sounds, and distinguishing between primary sources (the records) and secondary sources (gig reviews from the periods in question).
