Monthly Archives: May 2011

A Generalist’s Work, Day 2

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Timothy Burke

Tom De Haven’s Our Hero: Superman on Earth was one of my accidental discoveries this semester, arising out of trying to help a student in my counterfactual history class with her really interesting project. I have a long-standing engagement with … Continue reading →

Posted in Generalist's Work, Popular Culture | 2 Comments

A Generalist’s Work, Day 1

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I’m still feeling rankled by various casual dismissals of generalism and synthesis as a mode of academic and intellectual labor. It’s particularly odd coming from humanists given that the cultural work that many humanists study has frequently been created by … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Books, Generalist's Work, The Mixed-Up Bookshelves | 2 Comments

On the Bubble

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Timothy Burke

Is higher education in a bubble like (or worse) than housing prices before 2008? This N+1 essay by Malcolm Harris argues that a 900 percent increase in the average tuition since 1978 and a collected student debt burden that now … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Swarthmore | 10 Comments