Today in one class we discussed La autenticidad de la mujer en el arte, the essay by Rosario Ferré on writing as a woman. I used to find this piece flat, but today I found it illuminating. I learned from the discussion that none of the students had been raised to believe women must make … More Rosario Ferré
In a comment last summer, the Emeritus Professor said: Scholars have to be educated in some fundamental way, educated as opposed to trained, though they can and perhaps should be trained also. […] I said: I would add that the emphasis on ‘professionalization’ and ‘training’ over actual education undermines integrity. […] My own confusion in … More Upward Spiral
Our featured post for this evening is Lumpenprofessoriat’s Academic Love. It is of course right up my alley since it discusses the vicissitudes to which interdisciplinary programs are subjected, in the context of “academic rigor and standards” – principles to which we subscribe, but which are often ignored when they ought not to be, and … More Unchain My Heart
The pervasiveness of agonism, that is, ritualized adversativeness, in contemporary western academic discourse is the source of both obfuscation of knowledge and personal suffering in academia. Framing academic discourse as a metaphorical battle leads to a variety of negative consequences, many of which have ethical as well as personal dimensions. Among these consequences is a … More Acad-agonists
The Primary Contradiction and various commentators are suffering from self-doubt. It is always worth remembering that self-doubt, at least of the variety being described, is a result of oppression. In my para-Christian education self-doubt and humility were virtues, and they may be instructive indeed for the arrogant and the entitled. In other situations they are … More Labyrinth of a Faun
Today I discovered in my files a printout of Thorstein Veblen‘s The Higher Learning In America: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities By Business Men (1904-1918). From the 1916 preface: In its earlier formulation, [my] argument necessarily drew largely on first-hand observation of the conduct of affairs at Chicago, under the administration of its … More Thorstein Veblen
And now, via Slaves of Academe, we have an interesting article on the differences between academics and intellectuals. It posits three: 1. An academic has and wants an audience disproportionately made up of teachers and students, while an intellectual has and wants teachers and students in his audience only in proportion to their place in … More Bright Light
One of my far flung correspondents – someone I am actually trying to convince to guest blog here – has a question and a comment. Does anyone have answers, responses, or repartee for these? QUESTION Do you know why procrastination is so prevalent in academia, as compared with other professions? COMMENT The university has become … More From Our Correspondent…
The Shadow has lifted, I can see it and reject its precepts, but I am still fragile, and I may be so for some time – paradoxically moreso than when I was living under the Shadow. In the Shadow time, I wrapped large portions of myself away, to escape its ravages. Now I am almost … More Integrity III
One important attribute of the best scholars is that they give advice which speaks to the point of a question, and do not merely repeat platitudes. And yes, I do recognize that there is wisdom in platitudes, and that there are situations in which they do bear repetition. For further discussion of this matter, see … More Intermission: What Is A Scholar? XV
