The world is changing very fast, and so do the social conventions regulating polite behaviour in various contexts. This is at least the impression that most of us would share when asked for opinion. We come across so many situations in which the polite ways we have grown used to are flouted in innumerable ways that the sheer weight of evidence leaves us in no doubt that the world is becoming increasingly unfamiliar and confusing. Living in a global village, stripped of ignorance of other people’s ways, forced to elbow our own path in the maze of
daily routines, we sometimes seek shelter in the well-established institutions of the society, where the values of the past still appear to have some meaning and enjoy due respect. It seems, however, that the inevitable has already started to sneak into the walls of Academia, and that even this refuge of tradition and solemnity
is slowly being subdued by the ruthless obsession of commercial success. Deliberately exaggerated, the above introduction nevertheless truly reflects the feelings of many university lecturers observing the evolution (or revolution, as some of us would say) of tutor—student relationships in the recent decade or so. Not without significant impact on the observable changes is the birth and rise of the Internet as an increasingly common and widespread means of communication. The replacement of the traditional face-to-face and letter forms of
interpersonal contact with electronic mail in a range of academic contexts has bred a whole new reality of teacher—student interactions. It is especially true of the student—advisor relations, as many of the BA and MA thesis supervisorswould admit
