This spring semester, I’m teaching a class on Late Antiquity. When I say that, people usually ask, “What is Late Antiquity?” Late Antiquity is the period of transition… Read more “Readings in Late Antiquity”
Category: Education
What We’ll Be Reading this Spring Semester
Today is the first day of the spring semester so I thought I’d give a run down of what we’ll be reading in my classes. Western Civilization I… Read more “What We’ll Be Reading this Spring Semester”
What I’ll Be Doing in the Fall Semester
Today is the first day of the fall semester. Expectations run so high that the beginning of the new academic year takes on a sacramental quality. Incoming… Read more “What I’ll Be Doing in the Fall Semester”
My Year of Grading in 25 GIFs
Sometimes teaching a freshman-level college course feels like a game of Chinese Whispers. I give the students the information, but the information isn’t the same when I… Read more “My Year of Grading in 25 GIFs”
The Lecture Works, and It Always Has
Over at First Things I argue that the lecture is still the best way to educate a large group of learners. The Atlantic ran an interview with David Thornburg,… Read more “The Lecture Works, and It Always Has”
When Curriculum Gets It Wrong
Sometimes you have to take education into your own hands.
Some Good Advice for my Students, From Ashton Kutcher?
Ashton Kutcher surprised me by giving some helpful advice to young people. These are the kind of things that my incoming freshmen need to hear. I further… Read more “Some Good Advice for my Students, From Ashton Kutcher?”
The Liberal Arts: An Education in Cattle Raiding
A few days ago, I was trying to convince the freshmen and sophomores in my Western-Civilization survey to signup for my upper-level class in the fall. The… Read more “The Liberal Arts: An Education in Cattle Raiding”
Five Tools for Improving Your Writing
Writing has been on my mind this week. It probably has something to do with reading a stack of student papers and essays. Unfortunately, these papers and… Read more “Five Tools for Improving Your Writing”
How to Write an In-Class Essay
As I was grading my first round of exams this week, I was reminded that many students have no idea how to approach an in-class essay. Too… Read more “How to Write an In-Class Essay”