Blogs

We all know the old joke about the drunk who’s looking for his keys outside the bar at night. He’s looking near the streetlamp, even though he dropped them half a block away, because the light is better there. If we look where it’s easy, instead of where it’s likely, it’s easy to predict the results.

Did anyone think of urine?

A department store is a familiar sort of thing for higher ed folks. What are we but a department store of academic disciplines? Bloomingdales and Macy's have housewares, men's and bedding departments - we have economics, biology and women's studies.

The film world was busy this week mourning the loss of two “mountains”—documentary filmmaker Les Blank and film critic Roger Ebert. They will both be remembered for highlighting work about women, blacks, Cajuns, “crackers,” Mexicans, Yugoslavs—subjects and filmmakers who are too often ignored and forgotten by mainstream media. Both men have inspired me in my own filmmaking and teaching.

I have some thoughts on automated grading of student writing. Most of them are unkind.

An examination of France's wild and crazy chief rabbi....

I spent the last few days on my first accreditation site visit. I’ve been on the receiving end of three of the big ten-year versions -- lucky timing -- so it seemed like time to try being on the other side.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this essay by Amy Boesky in The Kenyon Review that reflected on her time ghostwriting for the Sweet Valley High series. What caught my attention was the fact that she wrote for the series throughout her time as a doctoral student (okay, I admit it--I actually started reading because I spent countless hours in my formative years with the Wakefield twins). Boesky's description of her work made me think about the ways what we do outside of our grad school work can be a real benefit to the development of our grad school selves.