Similar:This is manageable. Far better than some semesters.This is manageable. Far better than some…PersonalI'm honestly not sure where that came from.For my summer project, teaching myself t…AestheticsThoreau's Cellphone ExperimentWhen I teach “Intro to Literary Study,” …AcademiaMany familiar faces in this cast but this one is my favorite. Sold out opening of Grand Ho…PersonalTook the whole…
Similar:And so it begins.BooksMy laptop hard drive is full & my comfort-food shelf is emptyMy laptop drive is full & my comfort…CultureSkin of Evil (TNG Rewatch, Season 1 Episode 23)My rewatch reflection on the Star Trek:T…DesignNo I didn’t exactly *plan* to spend my Sunday evening tweaking the pedestrian access to th…AestheticsHad a rough day. Designing…
On this date in 1999, I first dated an entry in the collection of web links I had been curating since at least that January. Similar:Respect the Text: Teaching Textual Primacy to Non-English MajorsIn the past, I have used the first day o…AcademiaIn Pittsburgh, science gets playfulImagine: sharing a secret with a friend …AestheticsPaper too…
Above is my response to a meme that makes some shaky assumptions about the purpose of an English classroom. Exploring the intent of the author is a huge part of the English discipline, but it’s far from the only way to study (or teach) literature. Author intent, new historicism, reader-response, structuralism… the list goes on.…
I can sympathize with the sentiment, but the top part of this meme (the white text on black background) is not how I’d frame the situation. My take (which I’ve added underneath the original) is that when two sources disagree, assuming that one must be right and the other must be wrong is a form…
This fascinating essay, by the grandchild of a Nigerian slave trader, explores a complex cultural legacy. At least as provocative as “Did Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson Love Each Other?” and the stunning, bitter “Molasses to Rum (to Slaves)” from the otherwise cheery musical 1776. African intellectuals tend to blame the West for the slave…
My wife Leigh received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant towards producing the small-cast drama Full Bloom. She’s found a good space and found the right cast, and so we’re doing the whole crazy “Hey, let’s put on a show” thing again! If you’re within shouting distance, and you think the arts should matter…
This is why journalism matters: The Atlantic offers a good overview of the confusing fact that the official transcripts published by the White House and the Russian government don’t match the video. Compare this transcript, of what actually happened, to the White House’s version. Here is the record of what took place, starting with the…
We’re all still reeling from Trump’s statement yesterday that he “didn’t see any reason why it would be” true that Russia had meddled with the US election. Standing there next to Putin, he publicly rejected the positions of multiple US intelligence authorities. Today, in the face of blistering criticism from foes and friends alike, including…
I have always taken a neutral stance in my journalism classes, modeling the objective nature of reporting the news “without fear or favor.” I shall continue to uphold reporting designed to publish objective truth, and criticize and expose exaggeration, rumor, wishful thinking, and outright lies presented in the guise of truth. This fall, I…
When a Facebook friend asked for tips on teaching a large class, I inventoried what I’ve learned about the flipped classroom. For the classes I teach on a regular basis, sometimes online and sometimes in-person, I’ve had many opportunities to develop stand-alone resources that I reuse. For example, I’ve recorded some stand-alone audio lectures on…
Journalist Sam Husseini, who had been holding a sign that said “Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty,” was forcibly removed from the Trump/Putin press briefing in Helsinki today.
10 points to CNN’s Oliver Darcy for working both “when asked about” and “this reporter” into a news story that was not written by a supporting character in a 1940s gangster flick. When asked by this reporter how the company could claim it was serious about tackling the problem of misinformation online while simultaneously allowing…
Similar:Graduation procession #classof2017PersonalRandom sibling selfie.PersonalMy precious is fifteen. PersonalMathematics and What It Means to Be HumanA humanities faculty member and a math f…AcademiaUshering The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. @prime_stagePersonalA merry look at journalism in the classic "The Year without a Santa Claus"Personal
Similar:James Goodwin Clonney: Mother's WatchThis painting, of two impish children ta…AestheticsWhat's a Snollygoster? Even lexicographers are wrong sometimesThis is an amusing little story about ho…CultureTwo classic novels returning to Accomack schools following voteAccomack County Public Schools announced…BooksWatching Livestreamed Prime Stage Theatre's "Miracle in Rwanda"A very moving performance. So many chara…DramaDesk trays, with procedural wood materials by…
In my lit and writing classes, I regularly encounter STEM students who are frustrated because I won’t deliver a lecture that tells them “what the poem means” and then give them points for spitting back the “correct answer.” Likewise, when I teach a math unit in my journalism class, I regularly encounter word-oriented students who…
I don’t click on headlines that use words like “might be” or “possibly.” Journalists are not in the business of reporting what might happen. Neither do they repeat rumors. A thing is not necessarily true just because a source — such as the neighborhood busybody, a crook caught red-handed, a prankster, or the President of the…
At the Carnegie Museum of Art. Similar:I Love Books: A Campus Library EvolvesI love books. I love smelling them, t…AcademiaFeeling classy while I lose. Feeling classy while I lose. PersonalHamlet!PersonalFULL BLOOM (Aug 31-Sep 2)PersonalOne of the benefits of teaching at a small college, with small classes…In a final reflection video for a freshm…Academia‘People are rooting…
This painting was inspired by the scene from Henry VI Part 2 that Carolyn used for her Shakespeare monologue last year. Similar:Scholars' unconvincing case about the value of the humanities (essay)A literary work is a powerful tool for s…AcademiaMy son showed me #PacificRim.My son showed me #PacificRim. Liked the …CybercultureFind yourself someone who makes you…
Journalism matters. Educated citizens who understand and appreciate the role of the free press in a democracy are a threat to authoritarian figures who benefit by sowing mistrust. It’s perfectly reasonable to point out errors and bias in specific news stories. (News organizations love reporting about when their competitors get a story wrong, and journalists…