Monthly Archives: October 2018

Gender studies banned at university – the Hungarian government’s latest attack on equality

Gender studies banned at university – the Hungarian government’s latest attack on equality

After several months of tensions between the government and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungarian academics are once again up in arms, after the academy banned two conference presentations on what many are claiming to be purely political grounds. According to the Hungarian Free Press, one of the talks, which looked at the under-representation of women in the computer […] … learn more→

Writing recommendation letters is a courtesy, not an obligation

Writing recommendation letters is a courtesy, not an obligation

Are academics obliged to write letters of recommendation for students even if they abhor what the student in question is applying to do? That question is raised by the recent case of John Cheney-Lippold, a University of Michigan academic who refused to support a student’s application to a study abroad programme in Israel because of […] … learn more→

It’s naive to think college athletes have time for school

It’s naive to think college athletes have time for school

From my first day as a sociology professor at a university with a Division I football and men’s basketball team, education and athletics struck me as being inherently at odds. Student-athletes filled my courses to take advantage of the fact that the classes met early in the morning. The football and men’s basketball players – most of […] … learn more→

College madness: A “fist bump” is sexual harassment

College madness: A “fist bump” is sexual harassment

In our “criminal justice” system, being convicted of a sex crime is a permanent mark of shame. Lay hands on a girl one day shy of her 18th birthday, or equally molest an infant, and forever more you’re branded a “sexual predator,” and your neighbors are notified as such whenever you move. That label is […] … learn more→

A voice from the precariat

A voice from the precariat

You can often find me on the edge of things. For the most part it’s where I choose to be. When you do find me in the thick of it, it’s invariably when thinking and speaking collide fuelled by feeling and I really ought to remain silent. But my current state of in-betweenness feeds on […] … learn more→

Check for ‘code words’ – revising your writing

Check for ‘code words’ – revising your writing

It is not uncommon for doctoral writers to get supervisor feedback saying they need to unpack an idea. But what does this unpack really mean – and how does a writer get in a situation where they have something that needs to be unpacked? Well. Let me start with the last question first of all. How do […] … learn more→

College sued for “stealing” students from another school

College sued for “stealing” students from another school

When it comes to sportsball players, colleges “steal” star athletes from each other on a regular basis, at least when it’s time to grab incoming freshmen. It’s little different than in professional sports, which often bid for available players. It’s funny to use the word “steal,” of course, but I can certainly understand how people […] … learn more→