Monthly Archives: October 2019

Readings: These classics that Harry Potter introduces to your children

Readings: These classics that Harry Potter introduces to your children

“All the children of our world will know his name,” prophesies Professor McGonagall at the beginning of Harry Potter . More than 20 years after the appearance in bookstore of the hero imagined by JK Rowling, it is clear that fiction has become reality. The series in seven volumes that traces the path of initiation of the young orphan was published more than […] … learn more→

Will the NCAA’s move to let college athletes get paid endorsements make a difference? 3 questions answered

Will the NCAA’s move to let college athletes get paid endorsements make a difference? 3 questions answered

1. Will this measure bring new opportunities for student athletes? I think that remains to be seen. For the few college superstars in football and mens’ basketball, there will potentially be more marketing opportunities at the large-scale level, such as national and international endorsement deals, camp appearances and apparel contracts. For others, there may be […] … learn more→

Superscoring standardised admission tests will supersize advantage

Superscoring standardised admission tests will supersize advantage

On US students’ college-prep checklist, nothing looms larger than college admission tests. That’s why recently announced changes to the ACT might seem like a windfall to students who are concerned that a single test score could determine their whole futures. Starting next fall, students will be able to retake any of the ACT’s five sections […] … learn more→

Halloween: stories of witches to be read to children

Halloween: stories of witches to be read to children

Halloween is approaching and the season lends itself to the discovery (or rediscovery) of tales and legends, especially as witches are in the limelight of many children’s books. They can be beneficent or evil figures, according to the tradition from which they come. The first figure, that of the evil witch, often depicted as old and […] … learn more→

Academic freedom: repressive government measures taken against universities in more than 60 countries

Academic freedom: repressive government measures taken against universities in more than 60 countries

Universities around the world are increasingly under threat from governments restricting their ability to teach and research freely. Higher education institutions are being targeted because they are the home of critical inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. And governments want to control universities out of fear that allowing them to operate freely might ultimately […] … learn more→

Tolkien vs Disney: educate or entertain?

Tolkien vs Disney: educate or entertain?

What are the similarities between JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit , and Snow White and Walt Disney’s Seven Dwarfs ? None, except that the two works for young audiences were born a few months apart – the novel in September 1937, the cartoon at Christmas – and they both feature a group of dwarves. Tolkien discovered those of Disney at the beginning of 1939, in a cinema […] … learn more→

PHD bamboo

PHD bamboo

When I started my PhD, I was full of enthusiasm, excited by this new opportunity and period of growth. I read a  blog by Jodie Trembath about having a PhD symbol (she originally called it a PhD totem but changed this on the request of several First Nations scholars in the US). I bought an Asian bamboo […] … learn more→

Stanford: Dungeons and Dragons is RACIST

Stanford: Dungeons and Dragons is RACIST

The “new thing” is often declared the problem for society’s ills. Television and comic books, when they came out half a century or more ago, were blamed for why children were so disobedient, for example. A bit more recently, Dungeons and Dragons was targeted when it achieved some level of popularity in the 70s, with […] … learn more→

How to write a successful ethics application

How to write a successful ethics application

The word “ethics” strikes fear into the hearts of most early career researchers. Some of the reasons are beyond our control, but there’s actually a lot we can do to make our own experiences of the ethics approval process less painful. I’m writing this from two perspectives: as an early career researcher (I finished my […] … learn more→