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I was horrified by Mark Boyle’s ignorant, misogynistic letter about Angelina Jolie Pitt’s appointment as visiting professor (Letters, 25 May). If he had bothered to look beyond his own prejudices he’d have realised that she is an extremely articulate and experienced diplomat – albeit “unofficial”. She has done and is doing a great deal of good in the world. If her success as an actress is helping the causes she supports, so much the better.

Sara Neill

Tunbridge Wells, Kent

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Shame on the London School of Economics dumbing down to make Angelina Jolie a “visiting professor” of her own degree course (Report, 24 May). I am not aware of Ms Jolie having acquired a single academic qualification in her 40 narcissistic years upon this earth – let alone the doctorate or publication of any original first-hand research precursory to the title professor everywhere else apart from the fantasy world of Hogwarts. This madness in academia has to stop for all our sakes, where centres of higher learning acquiesce for the sake of largesse to celebrities of infinite wealth but zero Iq creating vanity courses, resulting in starstruck youngsters throwing away three to five of the most precious years of their lives on qualifications of little more use than toilet paper. What next? Professor Paris Hilton’s degree in tantric knitting & applied Klingon?

Mark Boyle

Renfrewshire

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