Category Archives: Academia

I have no problem with seeing students as consumers of education, perhaps because I don’t think that the identity of “consumer” forecloses other kinds of relationships. I can be a friend and a customer of a store owner. I can … Continue reading →

I’m deep in the annual ritual of getting out recommendation letters for students applying to graduate programs and other opportunities. Sometimes an attempt to simplify or streamline a procedure reveals how arbitrary some of the procedure actually is. Case in … Continue reading →

So this is the first time I’ve tried this course. I have no idea if the goon squad that runs around looking for allegedly lightweight courses is going to pick up on this one by its title, but at least … Continue reading →

I was doing a good bit of grading over the Thanksgiving break, and I was once again struck by a rhetorical habit in a lot of undergraduate papers, including some otherwise very strong, well-written ones. Namely, criticizing an author by … Continue reading →

Why you should be careful handling confidential files. I’m especially interested in reading the comments on the files made by professors evaluating the applications. Maybe this will help get across the point that arbitrary, clearly “political” filters for hiring aren’t … Continue reading →

With some trepidation, I venture a few thoughts on the controversy over residence-hall programs at the University of Delaware. Trepidation because the kind of position I take on these issues is increasingly wearisome to hold given the polarization in online … Continue reading →