NOTE – This piece has been updated to remove a sentence in which I attributed ideas to Goldrick-Rab which she doesn’t hold. I regret the error. Yesterday I wrote a new piece for CNN, offering my take on the expanding debate about the cost of college. Today, Bernie Sanders is going to file a 70…
Being a racist is not enough to invalidate academic freedom. Jerry Hough, a Duke Professor, left a racist comment on a New York Times page. He is now reportedly on leave. Hough has denied he’s a racist. From Slate: Hough told both the local ABC and Fox affiliates that he was on leave after his comments,…
I had three essays and seven blog posts this week, moderated a twitter chat, and went to a conference to give a talk and learn from my colleagues. Busy! Here’s the piece you probably didn’t read: Zoo Camp for All (Belt Magazine, 5/12/15) My son is going to Zoo Camp. The Brookfield Zoo has a fantastic,…
To institutions: if you want the reputational currency of public scholars you’d better have institutional processes & courage to go with it — Tressie Mc, PhD (@tressiemcphd) May 12, 2015 Almost a year ago, I wrote about Steven Salaita being un-hired by the University of Illinois. I argued: I come to this topic not as…
One definition of feminism: A critique of the gendered nature of power in a given society and a series Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015). She holds a rifle and is in front of an armored truck. Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures of actions stemming from that critique. In Mad…
Image: The word “Live” in red stamped over the word “tweet.” This weekend around three thousand medievalists – scholars and fans alike – will descend on the 50th Annual International Medieval Congress, a massive, interdisciplinary and relatively egalitarian academic gathering. It features a whopping 567 sessions, an outstanding book exhibit with new and used books…
I am writing a review of Mad Max: Fury Road for Vice. To prepare, I recently watched all three original Mad Max films and live-tweeted them. I was struck by levels of deep concept and artistry in 1 and 2, and how 3 really moved another direction (with Tina Turner, a huge soundtrack, and a lot…
Tomorrow at 5 P.M. PT I will be guest hosting #wjchat, a “chat for web journalists on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. PT. We talk about all things content, technology, ethics, & business of journalism on the web.” The topic will be disability and journalism. I invite people from he disability community to join and talk to…
Here we go again. An incoming professor of color, Saida Gundy, made comments that were, at most, provocative. She said that white, college age males, were a problem population (that’s the provocative one). She also said that white men are responsible for slavery and its legacy in this country (that’s indisputably true). I’m not linking…
Having encountered yet another elite R1 professor telling us what we, professors in general, are doing wrong, I thought I’d take a few moments and survey the NYT Opinion Page on Higher Education. I may write something longer and more formal on what I found. I have to tell you that I’m angry, and I’m…