This post is an essay by Clay Shirky that was recently in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Here's a link to the original. Here's the case that helped him crystalize his thoughts about the impact of AI on student learning: Earlier this semester, an NYU professor told me how he had AI-proofed his assignments, only to … Continue reading Clay Shirky — Is AI Enhancing Education or Replacing It?
In this post, I explore the issue of the different ways in which people give reasons to each other. It draws on a lovely little book by sociologist Charles Tilly: Why? What Happens When People Give Reasons...and Why. One of the things that makes his account valuable is how it gives scholars a way of … Continue reading Tilly: Why? Different Ways that People Give Reasons — and Lessons for Scholars
This post is a piece of mine that was published three years ago in Inside Higher Ed. Here’s a link to the original. It's also included in my newish book, Being a Scholar. It’s about an inherent tension in the act of writing between arrogance and humility. AN EXERCISE IN ARROGANCE AND HUMILITY TO BE A … Continue reading Writing as an Exercise in Arrogance and Humility
I don't know about you, but I love reading brutal book reviews. It's a lot of fun to watch a skilled writer skewer someone else's work with surgical precision (see here and here). In the interest of balance, I thought it would be right and proper to present a review that eviscerates one of my … Continue reading A Brutal Review of My First Book
Here’s a piece I published several years ago in Inside Higher Ed. Here’s a link to the original. It's also included in my new book, Being a Scholar: Reflections on Doctoral Study, Scholarly Writing, and Academic Life. Hope you like it. THE ESTHETIC PLEASURES OF ACADEMIC WRITING WHILE IT MAY SEEM UNLIKELY, SUCH WRITING CAN ACTUALLY … Continue reading The Esthetic Pleasures of Scholarly Writing
This post is a review by Phil Christman in The Bulwark of a new book by John Warner -- More than Words: How to Think about Writing in the Age of AI. Here's a link to the original. In this essay, Christman and Warner explore a view of writing that I've been thinking about for years: … Continue reading Against the AI Writing Machines
This post is a collection of tips about good writing that I have used in classes over the years. I hope you find them useful. Academic Writing Is a Process of Entering an Ongoing Conversation So you don’t just jump in, you try to situate your argument in the larger conversational arena. Orienting the reader … Continue reading Writing Tips
This post is a piece by Frank Bruni from the Times. Here's a link to the original. It's the new year, so it's time to take a moment to celebrate some the best writing that appeared in the last year. This is what Bruni has done here. In particular, he shows us his favorite sentences. I … Continue reading Frank Bruni — The Best Sentences of 2024
If the greatest joy that comes from retirement is that I no longer have to attend faculty meetings, the second greatest joy is that I no longer have to grade student papers. I know, I know: commenting on student writing is a key component of being a good teacher, and there's a real satisfaction that … Continue reading Robin Lee Mozer — I Would Rather Do Anything Else than Grade Your Final Papers
This post is a piece from the New York Times about the work of Robert McFadden, the retiring Times obituary writer. Obits are a great genre for an adept writer, who can capture the character of a famous figure in a few words and an apt metaphor. McFadden is the master of this genre, and … Continue reading Robert McFadden: A Master Class in Writing from the King of Obits
