While I don't generally consider myself someone who appreciates the mathematical arts to the same degree I appreciate the linguistic ones, I nevertheless tend to take a significant amount of comfort in quantifying progress on nebulous and/or extended projects. This is a quick quantification of some of the progress I've made on the book I'm … Continue reading Hitler’s Rhetoric, A Progress Report (Dec. 2022)
ENGL 259, Tentative Reading List (Revised)
WeekDateTopics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines1Aug. 24Introduction to the course / Literacy narrative(s) Read: Alexie, Superman and I Skinnell, Reading as an Act of Insubordination Sommers, I Stand Here Writing Optional: Explore DALN (https://www.thedaln.org/#/home)2Aug. 31Parameters of the Task at Hand Read: Ball and Loewe* Chapter: “America is Facing a Literacy Crisis” (Babb) Chapter: “First-Year … Continue reading ENGL 259, Tentative Reading List (Revised)
Fall 2021: ENGL 259 – Tentative Reading List
WeekDateTopics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines1Aug. 24Introduction to the course / Literacy narrative(s) Read: Sherman Alexie Nancy Sommers2Aug. 31The Parameters of the Task at Hand Read: Ball and Loewe* Chapter: “America is Facing a Literacy Crisis” (Jacob Babb) Chapter: “First-Year Composition Prepares Students for Academic Writing” (Tyler Branson) Chapter: “You Can Learn to Write in … Continue reading Fall 2021: ENGL 259 – Tentative Reading List
Are You Really Going to Make Me Defend Hitler? Style, Grammar, and Usage Edition
By equating good language with good people and bad language with bad people, we trick ourselves into believing that we (that is, people who use language well) could never fall for someone like Hitler.
A Too-Long Reflection on Being a “Leader in the Field”
Last week, I finished co-facilitating the 2021 Rhetoric Society of America Summer Institute seminar, “Rhetoric in Dark Times.” It was a career goal I never really expected to reach, and it was everything I hoped it would be. But the experience also got me thinking anew about the somewhat vexed transition points in academic careers … Continue reading A Too-Long Reflection on Being a “Leader in the Field”
Academic Assignment by the Numbers
Last year, when I went up for tenure, I had a hard time quantifying my teaching and administrative work -- which at San José State University get collected together under the heading, "Academic Assignment." I thought I kept pretty detailed records, but my tenure portfolio called the lie to that assumption. Not because I couldn't … Continue reading Academic Assignment by the Numbers
Why is Trump Covering Up Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder?
Jamal Khashoggi is dead. The journalist was murdered on October 2, 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The available evidence suggests with increasing certainty that it was plotted and carried out by members of Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman’s, coterie of advisors and confidantes. The scandal over Khashoggi’s murder has only grown over … Continue reading Why is Trump Covering Up Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder?
Is Brett Kavanaugh a “Good Man”? Does it Matter?
Brett Kavanaugh's "goodness" was treated by his supporters as more relevant to his qualifications to be on SCOTUS than his experience and/or judicial record.
The Revolting Logic of Joseph Epstein’s “Unpromising Title”
Doctor Jill Biden wrote and defended a doctoral dissertation in 2007—the crowning achievement of an advanced educational process that entitles a person to the professional title, “Doctor.” Hence, her title. On December 11, 2020, noted literary arbiter and cultural critic, mister Joseph Epstein, declared Biden’s professional distinction “fraudulent, not to say a touch comic” in … Continue reading The Revolting Logic of Joseph Epstein’s “Unpromising Title”
The Russian Trolls Are Hard at Work: Progressives and Leftists Edition
At the beginning of September, Facebook announced that they suspended five accounts affiliated with “Peace Data,” a news website launched by Russia’s social media propaganda wing, the Internet Research Agency. The IRA, of course, was instrumental in the Russian disinformation campaigns in the run-up to the 2016 election. This year, they even hired unwitting American … Continue reading The Russian Trolls Are Hard at Work: Progressives and Leftists Edition
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