Monthly Archives: September 2006

Goof-Off Readings: Genesis; The Muqaddimah; The End of History and the Last Man; Guns, Germs and Steel

Posted on September 15, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Well, the Weekly Standard has tagged my course, The Whole Enchilada: Debates in World History, as a lightweight bit of fluff. Read the syllabus and decide for yourself. If they’d only be patient! The History of Play and Leisure is … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | 13 Comments

TV Party Tonight!

Posted on September 15, 2006 by Timothy Burke

I was kind of surprised this week when a colleague of mine said that he simply doesn’t have time to deal with requests for independent study or directed readings. I mean, yes, they’re extra teaching on top of everything, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Popular Culture | 3 Comments

Unite and Lose?

Posted on September 15, 2006 by Timothy Burke

I’m on record as being a bit skeptical towards the argument that the territorial spread of mid to late 19th Century British and French imperialism was partly the consequence of a canny and deliberate application of a strategic doctrine to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 2 Comments

Mistakes Were Made

Posted on September 12, 2006 by Timothy Burke

I’ve been trying to think this morning about famous speeches in which political leaders forthrightly or candidly acknowledge mistakes or miscalculations, accept responsibility for them, and then proceed to announce changes in personnel and policy designed to correct for those … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 8 Comments

Classes I Keep Thinking Of Teaching

Posted on September 8, 2006 by Timothy Burke

I don’t know how many folks use sketchy drafts of syllabi for possible or potential classes as a way to think about interesting issues. But it’s how I go about things, which is why I tend not to repeat my … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | 30 Comments

Good Job

Posted on September 6, 2006 by Timothy Burke

I was glad to see that Swarthmore College’s president, Alfred Bloom, signed a letter from liberal arts colleges pushing for federal requirements for open-access publishing of federally-funded research. Now all the presidents signing that letter just need to take the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | 2 Comments

George Bush, Soft on Crime

Posted on September 6, 2006 by Timothy Burke

The President’s major reasons for temporarily suspending programs of torture and secret detention are: 1) we already tortured these guys as much as we want to for the moment, thanks very much; 2) the Supreme Court annoyingly decided to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 13 Comments

Recap

Posted on September 5, 2006 by Timothy Burke

With one part of my family helping to document what’s not working right now about the Administration’s policy in Iraq, I figured it was time for me to hold up my end and go back once more with feeling over … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 5 Comments

A Presentiment of Annoyance

Posted on September 5, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Today was a brief orientation for parents and kids before the first full day of school. I’ve always followed debates over K-12 education from a fairly austere distance. Now I can see that I’m probably going to get drawn into … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 11 Comments

David Horowitz Has a New Friend

Posted on September 5, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Now guess who wants to get all those liberals with their political bias out of the universities? The President of Iran. You could change the names and this would sound like a press release from Horowitz or ACTA.

Posted in Academia | 4 Comments