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Category Archives: Swarthmore
Commentary on Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind
We had the first of four symposia on Jonathan Haidt’s new book The Righteous Mind last night at Swarthmore. The hope is that we can demonstrate the distinctive advantages that a “liberal arts” approach can yield when many different scholars … Continue reading
Better Pedagogy, Less Cheating: Three Ideas
So Stuyvesant High turns out to have a cheating problem–or perhaps all selective high schools do? If the high schools do, I’m sure the colleges and universities that receive their graduates do as well. And so in turn do the … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Politics, Swarthmore
5 Comments
Bad Research and Informational Heresies (Draft Syllabus)
Still polishing this a bit, but I think it’s at the point where we can share it and get comments. I’m co-teaching this with my totally awesome colleague Rachel Buurma in the Department of English at Swarthmore. I’m really excited … Continue reading
Social Networks Then and Now
Reading through the old notes and papers that I’ve stuck in a closet and not touched for almost a decade, compiled from the decade of professional work before that (so the 1990s), is a sobering experience. On one hand, I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Digital Humanities, Swarthmore
1 Comment
Calling All Librarians, Info Scientists, Digital Humanists
I’m still struggling with how to begin a project that I would like to be a lifelong commitment for the rest of my career. The issues are technical and conceptual. What I want to do is begin publishing and archiving … Continue reading
A Sample Class Prep
I’m still thinking about ways to put some of my note-taking in my ordinary workflow into a disseminated or published form. More on that soon, as I’m seeking advice. But one other summer project has been to dig into my … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Swarthmore
1 Comment
Showing the Money
So I sounded a note of confidence in my Chronicle of Higher Education piece that faculty are perfectly capable of constructive participation in hard fiscal choices and being responsible custodians of the liberal arts ideal within resource constraints. How sure … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Swarthmore
5 Comments
Pictures From an Institution 12 (Archives)
Archival research is another of those jobs that some faculty do that isn’t particularly photogenic, like reading secondary literature or doing peer review. At least many scientists have a machine that goes ping or a cage full of fruit flies, … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Pictures from an Institution, Swarthmore
1 Comment
The Four-Year Itch
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
Bystander Training and Other Acts of Management
I’ve been thinking recently about what distinguishes small residential colleges and universities from vast research institutions. My first thoughts always turn to curriculum, teaching, scholarship, the practices that are a part of my training and work. That’s what I write … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Politics, Swarthmore
6 Comments