Monthly Archives: May 2015

What is an “original contribution”?

Many doctoral researchers worry about what ‘original’ in original contribution to knowledge means. They worry whether their research will be seen as original enough. They worry which of the multiple ways in which original might be interpreted will be applied to their thesis. The notion of original seems to carry with it the idea of […] … learn more→

Legal and illegal commas

One of the commenters on “Dumb Copy Editing Survives” last week said something that worried me. My topic was the contrast between sentences of the sort seen in [1a] and [1b] (I prefix [1b] with an asterisk to indicate that it is ungrammatical): [1] a. We are none of us native or purebred. b.*We are, […] … learn more→

An Adjunct’s farewell

To my students at Assumption College: I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you, but to answer the question many of you have asked: No, I will not be teaching at Assumption College again next year. Although I did receive an offer to return, the conditions that led me to decline that offer are most likely […] … learn more→

How to become a literature searching ninja

We often talk about ‘searching the literature’ – but how do you actually do it? Literature searches are one of those skills that we assume students already have when they get into a PhD. As a consequence we rarely make time to explicitly teach the skills, so it’s probably not surprising that I meet many […] … learn more→

Professor fails entire class, Part 2

Professor fails entire class, Part 2

Last time around I talked about a professor who decided to just fail the whole class, based on the actions of a (probable large) majority. While the professor overreacted here, I feel the need to give and clarify his explanation: “…the class was his worst in 20 years of college-level teaching. The professor…is new to […] … learn more→

New bipartisan caucus aims to re-energize Capitol Hill support for HBCUs

The past few years have been tough for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Many are facing financial hardships due to a combination of factors such as declining state support, expiration of additional federal funds specifically budgeted to strengthen HBCUs, and increased reliance on federal parent loans which have become harder to obtain. Fighting for […] … learn more→

To make the world a better place, teach Arabic

Seventy-four years ago, Henry Luce published \”The American Century,\” an essay that argued that American culture would play a starring role in creating a global environment in which the United States could thrive. Chief among his examples was American language itself; not just English, but an American-inflected argot that would be carried around the world […] … learn more→

A survivor’s guide for soon-to-be College graduates

The term “graduation” typically means that you graduate “from” something. As we enter the college graduation season, however, it is wise to take a moment to discuss what graduation will mean for transitioning seniors –especially young adults — both leading up to graduation day and in the months that follow. Graduation comes with well-earned accolades […] … learn more→

The death of the mentor

In the best of all possible worlds, my students end the semester with renewed interest in learning. Having developed a commitment to improving their communication skills, their writing eclipses what they produced at the start of the term. They might be able to catch a few more literary allusions, but that’s not absolutely necessary. Oh, […] … learn more→