It’s easy to look at a degree printed on a sheet of paper and say “that’s all crap,” and one degree (of many, to be sure) that often receives such scorn is the Gender Studies (or Women’s Studies) degree. Does it deserve this treatment? Well, Arizona State University, noted for turning higher ed into a […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
The gender studies degree, in detail
The new digital society needs a recycled school
The educational paradigm has been hit by technological fluctuations. It is evident that technological development advances faster than laws and that education. Therefore, defining the latter at the beginning of the 21st century means contrasting teaching styles and moments in the history of mankind. We have moved from a traditional society to the so-called information society in […] … learn more→
Community colleges open the door to selective universities
When it comes to getting into a selective university, high school GPA and test scores typically play the most important role. But in a recent study, we show another way to attend a selective university: transfer from a community college. This alternative option is important for students who are minority, low-income, and underprepared academically for higher education. Students from these particular […] … learn more→
Don’t blame the teacher: student results are (mostly) out of their hands
Teachers have very little to do with why some kids are better at school than others, our research shows. This contradicts the popular view that teachers matter most (after genes) when it comes to academic achievement. Previous research has suggested teacher quality – which includes their qualification level and ability to organise the class – can account […] … learn more→
Experts weigh in on taking the PsyD career path
If you are interested in the study of the human mind, then you’ve probably considered becoming a psychologist at one point or another. Providing therapy for the people around you is a rewarding and meaningful way of putting this study to good use, but becoming a psychologist isn’t the only way of integrating psychology into […] … learn more→
Even when they aren’t fired for being pregnant or gay, teachers face strict moral demands
Pregnant teachers in classrooms are routine these days. But the law didn’t always protect expectant women in any workplace. As part of her stump speech, Sen. Elizabeth Warren tells a story about being fired from her job as a speech pathologist for special needs children once she became pregnant back in 1971. Sharing this chapter in her […] … learn more→
Being in a minority: It’s now all bad
There are two specific ways I was positioned as a minority during my PhD: being an Asian woman and being a medieval scholar. Being a medieval scholar was the more difficult of the two! I was one of the few women postgraduates working regularly – or even occasionally – in the postgraduate room where I […] … learn more→
How can internationalisation be compatible with carbon neutrality?
As pro-vice-chancellor global at a university that has just declared a climate emergency, I face the daunting challenge of taking forward our ambitious plans for further internationalisation without increasing our carbon footprint. I am not alone, of course. This is one of the biggest challenges currently facing every university around the world. So how do […] … learn more→
Research as a game of empire
First of all, an introductory note: to propose a one-size-fits-all definition of colonialism would be itself quite a colonial approach, and I would instead prefer to point you at this extensive reading list. For the purpose of this article, it will suffice to say that colonialism is about the oppressive domination of lands and people […] … learn more→
What Condorcet has to tell us about education
When one reads a great philosopher, even if he has been dead for more than two centuries, one has the strange feeling of reading one of our contemporaries, of hearing a voice so strong and so strong that it still speaks to us. This is the case when one examines the major texts that Nicolas de Condorcet (1743-1794) […] … learn more→
