Classical music, Königsberg, our ancestor, Gayl Jones, and Sonny Boy Williamson

This evening I did nothing; I could have worked or worked out or washed dishes, or done other useful things, but I was riveted to my chair listening to the radio. First, The Squash Hut. Selected songs by Samuel Scheidt, Heinrich Schütz, Johann Hildebrand, Heinrich Albert, Johann Bach, Andreas Hammerschmidt, Johann Nauwach, Johann Hermann Schein … More Classical music, Königsberg, our ancestor, Gayl Jones, and Sonny Boy Williamson

Academic freedom

Academic freedom won’t survive if it is defended merely or mainly as a principle. It survives in and because of a bundle of values and practices—including ways of spending time and the pursuit of knowledge without preidentified end—that undergird the insti­tution. It is crucially important for administrators and faculty alike to understand how the shift … More Academic freedom

Plague course

Best books for COVID-19 class — what would you add? 1. Boccaccio / Decameron — some say just first chapter 2. Camus / La peste 3. Mann / The magic mountain 4. Mann / Death in Venice 5. Anon. / Nibelungenlied (Bary, Chataeva) 6. GGM / Love in the time of cholera (Chataeva likes it) … More Plague course

On reparations

Are reparations hard to do? Yes and no, although I tend to think no. Small reparations, but with a mentality for more, include affirmative action, which is in fact NOT a bad thing. Leslie, 4+: What are you doing? Why are you covered with papers when it is not exam week? Aged One, 30+: I … More On reparations