“The horror! The horror!” Rarely have so few words done so much for so many academics. Uttered by the dying ivory trader Kurtz in Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness, interpretations range from the political to the psychological, metaphysical and autobiographical. The hermeneutic jungle is as dense as the one the story’s narrator, Marlow, […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Who is blind to the horror of N-words?
Mandatory e-learning is a problem in Ontario high schools
Mandatory high school e-learning has become a point of contention in Ontario. The provincial government currently says it will implement two mandatory high school e-learning courses — down from an initial proposal to make it compulsory that students take four out of 30 high school courses online. This change happened after the government faced strong resistance from teachers, and negative […] … learn more→
Coronavirus: universities are shifting classes online – but it’s not as easy as it sounds
In response to the novel coronavirus, many South Korean universities have moved their teaching online. Students are still provided with the required number of class hours but without face-to-face contact with teachers. The ministry of education in the UAE has announced that university teaching will move online. In Italy, the government has ordered the closure of all universities until March […] … learn more→
Unmanaged and managed WordPress hosting: What is the basic difference in both?
Choosing webhosting is one of difficult decision for one who is going to launch their site. Below you can read which type of hosting is best for you: What is Managed WordPress hosting? Due to the fame of WordPress, some web hosting suppliers have selected to dedicate themselves to WordPress and propose what is called […] … learn more→
Studying one uni subject in four weeks has benefits – but students risk burnout if it’s not done right
For the past two years, Melbourne’s Victoria University has been delivering its bachelor degrees using a block model, where students study one unit at a time rather than four units at once. Each unit, or block, is four weeks long and the study year is broken into ten blocks – four in each semester and optional […] … learn more→
Mock REFs need a neutral referee
If you work at a UK university, your department will currently be using some form of internal review to identify which of your recent papers should be submitted to the research excellence framework later this year. Unlike some, I don’t have any visceral objection to the REF. Good performance measures generate incentives that motivate staff […] … learn more→
When you choose to re-locate
When your first degree was in Asian Studies and your first overseas trip was as an undergraduate exchange student to Japan, in some ways it shouldn’t be surprising that you end up in a teaching / research position in a university in Tokyo. But when people here learn that the lecturer in Japanese politics and […] … learn more→
What is true in what they sell us as “healthy life”?
The bombardment of messages about what “healthy living” is is constant. Organisms, institutions, private companies and fitness gurus try to convince us at all times that their formulas are the best solution to lead a healthy life and age in a healthy way. The questions we ask ourselves are: Are these “recipes” true? Are they based on scientific evidence? In the Report […] … learn more→
Universities need to look outwards: their local economic and social impact really matters
The idea that universities should look outwards, and locally, is a key component of the modern university. But one that is often downplayed or even ignored. The Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto contained a rather surprising but welcome reference to the link between universities and the prosperity of local towns and communities. It said “we will work […] … learn more→
Research as creative practice
My starting point – Research is a creative process. The connection between research and creativity is embodied in some disciplines. C. Wright Mills for instance famously talked about the necessity of the ‘sociological imagination’ – understanding how larger unseen social relations are embedded in and frame everyday events, conversations, processes and relations. But perhaps the […] … learn more→
