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Real college classes have writing assignments and required reading.

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While I can imagine teaching a course that intersects with the interests of a wide, non academic audience, a series of free, optional online public lectures would be great public service, but not great teaching.

I’m sorry if this bursts anyone’s bubble, but watching videos on the Internet and maybe writing a few very short [...]

Business | Culture | Current_Events | Essays | Ethics | Humanities | Politics

America is raising a generation of interns – The Week

After hearing these numbers, I began to understand why Jessica felt lucky. Maybe she is fortunate to be earning $4.35 an hour at her ivory-tower job while she works nights and weekends as a waitress. Maybe a 10-month paid internship followed by graduate school and then perhaps another internship is the new lucky, particularly at [...]

Academia | Amusing | Culture | Current_Events | Design | Education | Ethics | Modding | Rhetoric

It’s MOOAs, Not MOOCs, That Will Transform Higher Education

The administration at my small school is very productive and effective. I don’t see it showing the kind of bloat that my colleagues at other schools lament. My interest in this satirical piece is cultural, rather than personal.

So if we could find a way to put administration online, to create Massive Online Open Administrations [...]

Amusing | Culture | Current_Events | Journalism | Media | Religion

Pope calls Argentine kiosk owner to cancel paper delivery

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This is a very cute story, further illustrating the “regular guy” image that has underscored the vast majority of the coverage the new pope has received.

“Seriously, it’s Jorge Bergoglio, I’m calling you from Rome,” the Pope insisted.

“I was in shock, I broke down in tears and didn’t know what to say,” Del Regno [...]

Business | Current_Events | Cyberculture | Journalism | Social_Software | Writing

Washington Post seeks blogger to post ‘at least’ 12 times per day

The ideal candidate would have experience reporting, writing and producing online content as well as a proven fluency in social media. We need someone with the confidence to work independently, but also a team player who can collaborate with our critics, columnists and reporters.

This blogger should be able to identify trends, cutting through the [...]

Business | Culture | Current_Events | Cyberculture | Journalism | Media

Pew’s State of the Media: Ignore the doomsaying. American journalism has never been healthier.

American news media has never been in better shape. That’s just common sense. Almost anything you’d want to know about any subject is available at your fingertips. You don’t need to take my analysis of the Cyprus bank bailout crisis as the last word on the matter: You can quickly and easily find coverage from [...]

Business | Culture | Current_Events | Cyberculture | Essays | Ethics | Government | Modding | Technology | Usability

Forget the Cellphone Fight — We Should Be Allowed to Unlock Everything We Own

As long as Congress focuses on just unlocking cellphones, they’re missing the larger point. Senators could pass a hundred unlocking bills; five years from now large companies will find some other copyright claim to limit consumer choice. To really solve the problem, Congress must enact meaningful copyright reform. The potential economic benefits are significant, as [...]

Culture | Current_Events | Ethics | Humanities | Journalism | Psychology

The Effect of Tragedy on Journalists

College is already pretty stressful, and journalism culture is not exactly relaxed, either. The psychological strain of trying to do justice to a newsworthy story, while also respecting the suffering of members of your own academic community, while also suffering as a member of that community, is no picnic.

The stereotype of the hard-hitting journalist [...]

Business | Current_Events | Cyberculture | Journalism | Media | Technology

Washington Post to begin charging regular website, mobile app. users for digital subscriptions

The Washington Post says it will begin selling digital subscriptions this summer, asking frequent visitors to its website and mobile apps to pay a fee supporting the company’s journalism.

The Post announced plans Monday for a metered subscription model. It will require a paid subscription after the viewing of 20 articles or multimedia features per [...]

Culture | Current_Events | Ethics | Journalism | Media | Rhetoric

CNN Reports On The Promising Future of the Steubenville Rapists, Who Are Very Good Students

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Excellent analysis of the emotional impact when TV journalism shows gripping footage of convicted rapists breaking down in tears while the victim, whose identity is protected by privacy laws, remains anonymous and invisible.

It is unlikely that Candy Crowley and Poppy Harlow are committed rape apologists; more likely they simply wanted a showy, emotional angle [...]