Ron Chernow probably did not foresee his biography of American founding father Alexander Hamilton inspiring a Broadway musical. Six nights a week, however, the protagonist of his 2004 work can be found in New York – and now London – declaiming his political philosophy over a hip-hop beat, to rapt audiences and rave reviews. And […] … learn more→

Technology is without a doubt growing and expanding on a monthly basis. It seems like every time you turn around there is a new computer or processor available. There is nothing wrong with this, as it is keeping the market competitive and exciting, but it really makes things difficult for teachers. In fact, most parents […] … learn more→

Fortunately for me, I teach on a campus where diversity is the norm. New York City College of Technology (one of the campuses of the City University of New York) is 33% Hispanic, 30% Black (non-Hispanic), 20% Asian and 11% White (non-Hispanic). The reversal of Obama-era Affirmative Action guidelines, clearly, is not going to affect me […] … learn more→

For the last two years, Mindfulness Meditation has been participating in the IÉSEG School of Management’s “Grande École” program, through a course entitled “Mindfulness & Management”. This course is today one of the highest rated by the students, if one refers to the evaluations that they fill at the end of the session. On the […] … learn more→

Children typically begin lying in the preschool years, between two and four years of age. These intentional attempts at deception may worry parents, who fear their child will become a pint-sized social deviant. But from a developmental perspective, lying in young children is rarely cause for concern. In fact, lying is often one of the first signs […] … learn more→

Hate speech is on the rise. In Canada alone, it increased by a staggering 600 per cent between 2015 and 2016 as part of what some have called “the Trump effect.” Academia is not immune to this trend. According to a recent study, some scholars have sought to promote “colonial nostalgia and white supremacy” by using […] … learn more→

More and more research material is either being produced as digital objects or are being digitised. I can see the first copy of Philosophical Transactions from my desk. Open licensing means that more and more of this material can be shared. However, when it comes to the administration of this research, it is a different matter. I tried […] … learn more→

If academic overwork had a Facebook status it would be ‘it’s complicated’. Academics work hard, in part, because we have to, in part because we love it, and partly because of dedication to our students. But the endemic overwork problem must be addressed. The pressure to work long hours translates through the academic eco-system to […] … learn more→

Do you remember being taught you should never start your sentences with “And” or “But”? What if I told you that your teachers were wrong and there are lots of other so-called grammar rules that we’ve probably been getting wrong in our English classrooms for years? How did grammar rules come about? To understand why […] … learn more→

Your typical state university campus is, to the eye, a beautiful place. From initial construction, each building is generally designed with eye appeal in mind, usually augmented by landscaping, particularly lovingly tended old trees. The student loan scam has enhanced this feature, and the gorgeous stone buildings on our stately campuses are now augmented with […] … learn more→