When I was in grad school, they told us NOT to torture undergrads

The Cranky Professor: Our friend the brussel sprout . . .: wherein a well-meaning colleague feeds brussel sprouts to his students. Oh the horror!!!

(Pace Mrs. J, whose sprouts are the only ones I will willingly eat...)

Twenty Years Ago, People Made Fun Of Folks Like Me For This...

From Harry to Harvard: Quidditch Takes Flight in the Muggle World -FoxNews.com: wherein we read of New England college students taking the Harry Potter intramural sport and turning into a RL pursuit. Yes, they must be on brooms, but capes are optional. Yes, there are quaffles and blodgers (semi-inflated volleyballs and dodgeballs, respectively). Yes, there is even a Golden Snitch (go read the article). And quite obviously 'yes,' the people in the stock photo are straight out of a Stuff White People Like casting call.

Twenty years ago, people made fun of guys like me who played D&D on the weekends, even though we did not dress up like wizards and warriors, let alone go running through the woods rolling dice (I'm looking at you now, Mrs. Professor Mojo!). Now your'e telling me that cool young collegiates are doing this because they think it's cool?!?!?

Anall Nathrach

Uthvas Bethuud

Dothiel Tienve.

Anall Nathrach

Uthvas Bethuud

Dothiel Tienve. >

ANALL NATHRACH

UTHVAS BETHUUD

DOTHIEL TINEVE!

Technorati Tags: Dungeons and Dragons, Harry Potter, history, humor, News I Can Use

A Fair Question Regarding Diversity

Community College Spotlight | Ivy League admits few veterans: why is this, hmm?

The Devil’s Workshop Annual Most Highly Selective Survey of Undergraduate Veteran Enrollment

Princeton 0

Williams 0

Wellesley No reply

Brown No reply

Yale 2

Harvard 2

Amherst 3

Smith 3

Mount Holyoke 3

Dartmouth 12

Stanford 21

William & Mary 24

Bunker Hill Community College 367

I can think of a few reasons. Military vets tend not to think of themselves as Ivy material and so do not apply. The perception is out there that Ivies don't like vets. Ivy profs hate vets --they spoil the accepted narratives by providing primary source material that cannot be simply dismissed in-person as "war-mongering and biased" --except by a notable minority of tenured bloviates.

I am proud to teach a number of vets every year. It it a disservice to them to stereotype them in any way as to attitudes and abilities. And since I charge considerrably less for my services than my colleagues at the Ivies, I would suggest to vets that they look me up. I'm not that hard to find.

Technorati Tags: academia, education and pedagogy

There's An App For That???

Mobile phone kits to diagnose STDs | Society | The Guardian: oh brave new world in which we live!

(I could make a comment about a particular ex-flame of mine who turned out to be Tetched In The Head, but I'll refrain.)

Technorati Tags: health care reform, There's an app for that!

A Sign Of The Times?

We've just had Exam Two here in US History to 1877. And I'm seeing something that I have not seen hitherto.

My "traditional" essay prompt for this exam --which covers the time period from 1763 to 1814-- calls for students to "[d]escribe the differences between the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists" and to "compare those differences to those that exist between today's Republicans and Democrats." At first blush this should not be a terribly challenging topic, but then again many of my students a) don't study, b) don't pay attention in class and c) don't bother keeping up with the news. Actually, most of them do a passable job with the first part of the question, but not the second --at least until this time around.

Now I am no fool. I realize that like most young Americans, my students overwhelmingly supported the election of B. Obama to the Presidency. And in past semesters, their essays have reflected the mindset of Democratic-leaning supporters, e.g., "today's Republicans are the party of the wealthy elite, just as the Federalists were," and "Jeffersonian Republicans were the party of the 'little guy' like today's Democrats."

Not. This. Time.

I was genuinely shocked to see students talking about "today's Democrats are all about the expanding of power like in health-care reform, while today's Republicans are like yesterday's Republicans in wanting limited government." I've always had one or two Tea Party types among my population, so I have seen this line used before. But the sheer number of essays written by my students --who have to get through an Eric Foner textbook as their main reader!-- that reflect *gasp* skeptical cynicism is enough to make me blink.

It gets better. I'm also seeing essays along the lines of "today's Republicans are strict constructionists, while today's Democrats are firm believers in implied powers" --and I never used to get more than one or two like that a semester! My students are suddenly taking a deeper interest in the Constitution. Why is this??? [NB we do read the entire thing line-by-line in class.]

Now some of you may be a bit "oh they're just mirroring you, Mojo, you big honking fascist!" [I am not a fascist.] Well, I haven't been particularly strident this semester, and I do make an effort to play up the logic and benefits of a loose constructionist position in the name of balance --in short, I haven't changed what I do. It's the students who are changing what they're saying.

And given the demographics that I reach, that's a huge warning sign to those in power at the moment. If you're losing MY students, in the long run you are toast.

Technorati Tags: academia, elections, history, Tea Party protests, U.S. Constitution, unintended consequences

Why You Should Be Careful If Voting Straight-Party Tickets

UPDATE: BEFORE YOU VOTE, PUT THIS APP ON YOUR PHONE! The Voter Fraud Mobile app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad: you may not have to use it, but you'll be glad if you do.

In North Carolina as well as in Nevada, voters trying to vote straight-party tickets on machines have reported problems with the ballots being "defaulted" to some previously-set parameter --in other words, the ballots were pre-set to vote for "the other guy."

I have already voted and I noticed no such irregularity on my ballot. But be aware that This Sort Of Thing can (and does) happen. Be diligent when casting your vote: make sure your final ballot is the one you selected. Remember that in many states (including mine), going down-ticket to vote in races where your party runs no candidate will invalidate your straight-party vote at the top of the ballot.

Of course, the simplest and best (if not shortest) solution is not to vote the straight-party option at the top of your ballot, but to vote separately in each individual race.

But whatever else you do, do go vote. Display Your Civitas!

Technorati Tags: elections, News I Can Use

Iraq did have chemical WMD, WikiLeaks documents reveal - NYPOST.com

Iraq did have chemical WMD, WikiLeaks documents reveal - NYPOST.com: not the first time this sort of thing has been reported, but that's not why we should care. First, it should finally put a rest to "Bush lied, people died." (But I doubt it...) Second, it has long been speculated that Iraq did have much more in the way of WMD but managed to secrete them elsewhere in the run-up to the invasion. This is not proof of that, but it it does cast doubt on the counter-claim that there were no WMD in the first place.

Technorati Tags: anti-Bush, anti-war protests, Iraq War, revisionism

THIS MUST BE DEEP-FRIED!!!

This would never get a second look at the State Fair of Texas unless it were first deep-fried:

The Faculty Lounge: Another Sign That the American Empire Is In Its "Decadent Decline" Phase:

I'm having a calorie coma-by-proxie....

Technorati Tags: News I Can Use, puppy

Say What?: Post-Rapture Pet Care

Hire an Atheist to Watch Your Pet After the Rapture:

(not original to, but brought to my attention by The Volokh Conspiracy)

You’ve committed your life to Jesus. You know you’re saved. But when the Rapture comes what’s to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.

We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you’ve received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.

We are currently active in 24 states. Our representatives have been screened to ensure that they are atheists, animal lovers, are moral / ethical with no criminal background, have the ability and desire to rescue your pet and the means to retrieve them and ensure their care for your pet’s natural life....

For $110.00 we will guarantee that should the Rapture occur within ten (10) years of receipt of payment, one pet per residence will be saved [I take it that’s not in the theological sense of “saved” –EV]....

Okay, to me this has SCAM written all over it, beyond any tongue-in-cheek interpretations. Presumably, this is a safe gamble for anyone involved on the Earth-Bound end. If no Thessalonian-style Rapture occurs, the money stays there --unless it's like an insurance policy where you can cash it in upon maturity, in which case it's at best a poor investment on your money and EEBP still gets to keep the interest, so again, a scam.

On the other hand, if the saved are all called up at once, who will be around that has standing to file suit for breach-of-contract should said services not be provided, either by malice or by force majeure ("And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth...")

Technorati Tags: humor, Eschaton

Education Professors vs. Education (from (Accuracy in Academia)

Education Professors vs. Education: (read and follow links)

A recent study by Steve Farkas and Ann Duffett should strike fear into the parents of students across America.

This new study, entitled “Cracks in the Ivory Tower?: The Views of Education Professors Circa 2010,” takes an in-depth look at how today’s education professors view their role in society and in preparing the future teachers of our nation’s children. The results are distressing. Observe this nugget from the study’s key findings:

Asked to choose between two competing philosophies of the role of teacher educator, 68 percent believe preparing students “to be change agents who will reshape education by bringing new ideas and approaches to the public schools” is most important; just 26 percent advocate preparing students “to work effectively within the realities of today’s public schools.”

We've been trying "new" approaches since Dewey infamously led pedagogues astray in the early 20th century. We haven't ever recovered.

...

Meanwhile, the study points out that “Just 37 percent say it is ‘absolutely essential’ to focus on developing ‘teachers who maintain discipline and order in the classroom.’” This is despite the fact that discipline in the classroom and student management is, as Jay Mathews at the Washington Post calls it, “the hottest topic among young teachers.”

Tell it on the mountain!!!

A MIRACLE!!!

Over the weekend we thought that Mrs. Professor Mojo had suffered a miscarriage. The last 48 hours have been hell.

But when we went into today for what was supposed to be a post-mortem ultrasound (to see if D and C was necessary), we were (to quote Chesterton) surprised by joy: the baby was still inside and waving at us!!!

Evidently, the Mrs. had some sort of blood clot that passed, but otherwise left the baby intact.

We intend to spend the rest of today laughing and rejoicing and generally being much-relieved and muchly-thankful.

Technorati Tags: News I Can Use

What Conservatism Means, a la Wm. F. Buckley

The American Spectator : Knight Errant With a Clipboard:

"[It is] a position that has not grown old under the weight of a gigantic, parasitic bureaucracy, a position untempered by the doctoral dissertations of a generation of PhDs in social architecture, unattenuated by a thousand vulgar promises to a thousand different pressure groups, uncorroded by a cynical contempt for human freedom. And that, ladies and gentlemen, leaves us just about the hottest thing in town."

Technorati Tags: history

REPOST: "Ahh, I see Professor Mojo has given his first exam of the term..."

[FALL 2010 UPDATE: First Exam Weekend has come and gone in these parts. Oog... This was not a Happy Fun Time for a lot of my students. Scores were down across the board. Of course, the ones who failed almost all failed to do the main essay. Sadder but wiser... At least I didn't bust anyone for plagiarism, I think I got that point across loud and clear. Yet now I will be dealing with the inevitable ones who didn't listen to instructions, and who are in Deep Trouble over Things Which Have Incurred The Wrath of Professor Mojo. As is tradition, here is this post marking the occasion:]

"Ahh, I see Professor Mojo has given his first exam of the term: his students look like they've been gut-shot."

I try to keep class upbeat, lively, and not boring --oxymoronic aims for a history lecture, one might say (and yes, there are days when even I get bored by the things I have to cover). But I never intentionally mislead my students. From Day One, I warn them that if they don't study for the exams --and especially if they blow off the essay questions -- they will fail. But there are a significant number who simply do not listen.

And so every term, I get Exam One grades (out of 100) like 55. 38. 18. Welcome to the world of Community College Education.

For what it's worth, I also tell the students that this happens to everyone, and that I will take significant improvement into account when final grades are calculated. My mission is to improve these students, I don't get paid extra for failing them --that's how I justify it. Even so, I also know from past experience that only half of those students who bomb Exam One (bomb: = = anything less than a D/60) will even bother to finish the course, they'll head for the door at break and keep on going to the registrar to withdraw. It makes me sad.

But I can only do so much. I'm not legally allowed to use a war elephant (with howdah) to chase down those counselors who push students into classes for which they are absolutely unprepared; nor can I use Invoked Devastation on the schools which produce these students. I can only encourage and work with those who stick it out, and at least get them on the Path of Right Learning ("Study! Read! Think!").

The really sad part is that many of them will "shop around" for an "easier" prof next semester, and then end up failing again when they don't bother to study. This is college: I'm not doing any favors by reinforcing the bad habits they picked up in high school. And yes, I can throw stones at high schools, I used to teach high school, and I do know what it's like.

Technorati Tags: academia, education and pedagogy, News I Can Use

CARPE DIEM: U.S. Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2009 --plus discussion questions!

CARPE DIEM: U.S. Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2009:

"So, the Great Society programs began around 1965, students. What effect did they have on the poverty rate?"

"Examine the periods when poverty rates were in decline. What correlation was there to the price of oil?"

"Compare this graph with the graphs on government spending (absolute, inflation-adjusted, and as % GNP/GDP. What correlations do you find?"

Technorati Tags: bailout, history, oil

And While You're At It, Harrisburg...

Teachable Moments from Facebook :: Accuracy In Academia: but the Internet per se will still be operative. And so will the phone lines and cell phone access. As will public transportation, which can quickly and easily move people to pretty much anywhere else where Luddites aren't running the show, such as the local Starbucks.

Technorati Tags: media, The world is full of morons, unintended consequences