Adventures of EPN

Troubling signs that the PRI’s repressive ways could return to the national stage were on display in the violence that took place on December 1 in the streets of Mexico City, as Peña Nieto was being inaugurated. Dozens of protesters were brutally beaten by the police, and some were severely wounded. Meanwhile, small groups of … More Adventures of EPN

Brave new logo

Momo has sent the new logo for our alma mater. It is observable above, to the right. Tomo Hirai, a 24-year-old UC Davis graduate, thought the new UC logo looked like “a loading logo” for a computer operating system such as Windows or Mac. “It cheapened the entire UC System,” Hirai said. “That’s not what … More Brave new logo

Brave New Ph.D

Here is a very good post on the proposed overhauls of Ph.D programs. Did you expect to get an academic job, though? At Berkeley we were always told not to expect to get jobs, and I fully expected my academic career to end when I filed my dissertation. This may be part of my problem … More Brave New Ph.D

Spring

The last day of classes is May 3. Finals are May 6-10. Graduation is May 18 and if my summer classes make, I must meet them in Mexico City the next morning. I did not choose that summer schedule and I intend to defend myself by not giving finals and not attending graduation. Furthermore, Jazzfest … More Spring

University diary

Last week I completed required ethics training, in which I was taught what a bribe was and informed I should not take these. At the same time a distinguished professor at my university, one who sits in an endowed chair, was arrested during a drug sweep at a strip club here. He had just hired … More University diary

The nine monsters

Invierte el sufrimiento posiciones, da función en que el humor acuoso es vertical al pavimento, el ojo es visto y esta oreja oída So, unfortunately pain grows in the world at all times, it grows at thirty minutes per second, step by step, and the nature of pain is twice the pain, and the condition … More The nine monsters

Reading lists

Here is a reading list for students considering graduate work in Spanish. Here is my list for students considering Latin American literature as a secondary field for the Ph.D in another literature. Like the SMT list, it is not a reading list for the actual examination, but a preliminary list. * Here is an ancient … More Reading lists

Chocant

Thursday night my mother fell such that she is now in the hospital, and my colleague’s mother committed suicide. I am still grading, and today I am creating and hosting the department party. My general thesis appears to be that academic advice exists not to advise, but to suggest to people that events can be … More Chocant