Author Archives: Timothy Burke

I just got back from an engaging visit to the College of the Atlantic. Even though its curricular project and general atmosphere are 180 degrees opposite from St. John’s College, I think it occupies a similar place in the universe … Continue reading →

Students should feel free to experiment with ideas, and to get them wrong. It’s ok to throw out an interpretation that is flawed, an argument that’s an experiment. An undergraduate shouldn’t feel that there’s a mob armed with rotten fruit … Continue reading →

I’m trying to think of sensible, fair-minded things to say about this story (via Margaret Soltan) about a Dartmouth instructor who plans to sue her students for making discriminatory remarks about her pedagogy, but I’m coming up empty. (Here’s the … Continue reading →

[cross -posted at Cliopatria] I tell my students that all good research projects and analytical writing have to provide an answer to the question, “So what?”, a justification for the project or the essay. One student asked me if history … Continue reading →

I had an interesting conversation with a student about this week where we were supposed to be talking about his work and I ended up hogging the conversation. He was asking me some interesting questions, though, about how I think … Continue reading →

For everyone else, April is the month where nature springs back to life, love is in the air, pleasant days and good feelings. I feel like in the academic calendar, April is the equivalent of winter. The year is dying, … Continue reading →