Author Archives: Timothy Burke

Crashing the Pity Party

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Timothy Burke

If you’re genuinely interested in a critique of Black Studies (or similarly constructed interdisciplinary or identity-based programs of study), don’t give into the temptation of making a martyr out of a blogger whose real mistake was a lack of intellectual … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Africa, Politics | 10 Comments

Good

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Thank you to the Chronicle.

Posted in Academia | 2 Comments

One Eyeball More

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Timothy Burke

To Mark Bauerlein: 1. Bauerlein can’t even bring himself to say, “Hey, it’s not cool to attack dissertations you haven’t read in a field that you preemptively deem uninteresting about subjects that you aggressively maintain could never be of any … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | 2 Comments

The Shameless Style

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Timothy Burke

When people feel no shame, watch out. Any cultural or political system that depends on participants living up to minimal commitments for quality, integrity, or diligence where there are no consequences besides embarassment for outright discarding those commitments can thrive … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Cleaning Out the Augean Stables, Information Technology and Information Literacy | 4 Comments

The Four-Year Itch

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Timothy Burke

We have a group of very smart, energetic, interesting students asking the college to divest from a list of fossil fuel companies. This puts me in the somewhat predictable situation of being the guy who fought for a cause when … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Africa, Politics, Swarthmore | 6 Comments

TL;DR for Historical Scholarship

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Because all the cool kids are doing it, let me dash off a quick thought on William Cronon’s essay “Professional Boredom”. I’m very sympathetic with Cronon’s reasoning on almost every point, particularly with his sense that what ought to matter … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Digital Humanities | 7 Comments

Debt: The First 500 Comments At Crooked Timber

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Some years ago, I was talking with a senior scholar that I had known well while I was in graduate school and in my early career. This person’s scholarly work is amazing stuff, a huge presence in African history, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Blogging, Generalist's Work, Oh Not Again He's Going to Tell Us It's a Complex System | 13 Comments

Yo Rick

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Wow, you learn something every day. I had no idea that the majority of the University of California schools don’t teach any American history at all. Thanks, Rick Santorum! Gosh, I wonder what they do teach, then. History of Lesbian … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics | 5 Comments

Pictures From an Institution 11 (Events)

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Timothy Burke

I keep pining for the creation of an “events czar” who would rule the college calendar with an iron fist, cutting down the sheer number of events while also keeping them from overlapping. It’s not going to happen, because each … Continue reading →

Posted in Pictures from an Institution | 1 Comment

Pictures From an Institution 10 (Spring)

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Timothy Burke

Ok, I give you this, spring around here is beautiful. But I rarely experience it as exuberance. The cool weather in fall always energizes me, but that’s probably because I have energy to spare. By the time I hit April, … Continue reading →

Posted in Pictures from an Institution | Comments Off