Monthly Archives: September 2017

Facts Exist on a Spectrum – Adventures Teaching Writing

Teaching First Year Writing this semester continues to be an exciting, interesting journey. A few nights ago, I was trying to decide how I wanted to address a lesson introducing the broad topic of facts, opinions, arguments, and related topics. My approach always involves both discussion and the philosophy. The lesson ended up being transformative for the students, according toContinue reading “Facts Exist on a Spectrum – Adventures Teaching Writing”

More Gender and Race Perception Experiments

This serves as a kind of followup to this post where I described an experiment I did with a group of students. I recently did a similar version of this experiment but with some modifications based on suggestions I received here! The results are most interesting and for sure show aspects of our hidden sexismContinue reading “More Gender and Race Perception Experiments”

Polyamory, Constructionism, and the Queerness of Hollywood

Two thoughts have been stirring around my brain lately, and they require a bit of creative thinking, potentially: 1) Actors and actresses are, effectively, in on-going polyamorous relationships, 2) performers embody the rejection of (dangerous) ideologies of essentialism.  Polyamory and Queer Hollywood  The philosophy of polyamory says that it’s possible, even natural, for a person toContinue reading “Polyamory, Constructionism, and the Queerness of Hollywood”

On Being Hated: Politicians, Ethics, and Affect

Sometimes I wonder how politicians like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz must feel knowing that millions of people hate them or dislike them to extreme degrees because of their blatantly hypocritical and inhumane behavior and rhetoric. Anyone who understands how the world actually works–understandings informed by biology, history, psychology, and sociology–is appalled by their behavior. PoliticsContinue reading “On Being Hated: Politicians, Ethics, and Affect”

Hurricanes, (Fake) News, and Precision

Frequently, the news occupies an unusual position where they can’t do anything right. Various individuals and institutions or positions will be upset and believe they have been misrepresented or mistreated no matter what journalists (or their producers) do.   Since Kellyanne single-handedly caused “fake news” to enter everyday popular discourse, people jump to declare that whichContinue reading “Hurricanes, (Fake) News, and Precision”