Leaving Las Vegas
It probably says something strange about my psyche that, unable to sleep as late as I could before departing for home, I had to get out of bed and write down the post percolating in my head. At least it… Continue Reading
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Why are some academic fields still male-dominated?
After graduating college, I worked for a bit, then went into grad school for an MA in a field in the humanities. About 60% of the grad students there were female. I have no stats on that field, but I… Continue Reading
Thoughts about the Ravi sentence
When the guilty verdict was handed down in the Dharun Ravi trial a couple of months ago, I expressed some concerns. Like many people, including many gay rights activists and writers, I felt very uncomfortable with calling loutish behavior a… Continue Reading
You’re not being fair, Mr. Sullivan
I am no great fan of the contemporary Republican Party, certainly not as it is expressing itself in Congress these days. But Andrew Sullivan, in his inimitable manner, does nothing to help with trenchant analyses such as this one (presented… Continue Reading
I ♥ quizzes
I’ve been teaching undergrads now for seven years (with a semester off here and there for maternity leave). A semester has not gone by when I haven’t noodled around with some property of my teaching or other. I’ve been super-strict,… Continue Reading
Stay awesome, home state
I have family visiting for the summer. In addition to the pleasure of their company, I am also treated to tidbits of gossip news from my hometown and state. It is thanks to them that I was apprised of this… Continue Reading
Abortion and disability
Here’s a lovely op-ed that speaks clearly to my experience, and with whose basic premise I have some disagreement. The writer, Patricia Bauer, is the mother of a daughter with special needs. She argues against abortion for reason of disability. (Reading… Continue Reading
Storytelling and evolutionary psychology
With one hand I (implicitly) praise the Gopnik family, with the other I take it away. Rarely do I have the pleasure of reading a piece in the popular press that overlaps with my area of expertise, is completely fatuous,… Continue Reading
Maybe this time the hysteria will be useful?
My residency required each of us to do a presentation on the topic of our choice as a “senior project.” (I suspect this is probably common practice with most residencies.) For some strange reason, I decided to do mine on… Continue Reading
So, now that I’ve finished the “Hunger Games” trilogy…
I am very ambivalent. A short while ago, I got a little bit shirty with certain columnists who preened about the intellectual merits of the literature they were reading and who looked down on grown-ups who read inappropriately juvenile fiction… Continue Reading