Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda

122 visits. 74 hours. Office Hours.

I’ve always had busy office hours as discussed here. Invisible Labor is pervasive in our world. People labor in ways that are often unseen, unacknowledged, and/or even unpaid. In order to help counter this, I tracked visits this semester. The results follow. I had 135 students this semester across 5 classes (plus one independent studyContinue reading “122 visits. 74 hours. Office Hours.”

The Room (Poem)

The Room With its spaciousness, invites you. With its tables and chairs, talks to you. With its storage spaces, says, please stay. With its location, says, you are visible. With its mix of different people, inspires and encourages you. The Room is a neat, different, weird place. But, you don’t know The Room. The RoomContinue reading “The Room (Poem)”

Film and Television – Things On My Mind Series, #8

I use the Things On My Mind series to share collections of working, not necessarily related, ideas that don’t (yet, anyway) warrant their own article or have another home. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit receives its fair share of criticism, much of it warranted; however, here I want to mainly recognize some of LawContinue reading “Film and Television – Things On My Mind Series, #8”

No Room For Disabled People – Chick-fil-A at North Mopac and Parmer Lane

Disabled people are systemically abused, denied access, and misrepresented across the United States, and laws related to us are often ignored or are not enforced. While such problems of access and equity are often far worse in other countries, such is not an acceptable excuse. Case in point: While visiting Austin, Texas, on February 7-10,Continue reading “No Room For Disabled People – Chick-fil-A at North Mopac and Parmer Lane”

“Generation” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #33

“Generation” (in the context of “social generations,” such as baby boomers or Get Y) might well be another candidate for my “banned words” list! As with “traditional,” “generation” focuses on the experiences and values of those privileged in a given time and place by those same experiences and values. As a concept, it tells usContinue reading ““Generation” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #33″

Alex Trebek. Aunt Becky. Not Your Friends.

Parasocial relationships form easily. Carefully-scripted and highly-rehearsed, people see fictional characters people on their screens from the comfort of their homes and almost naturally come to believe they really know and very much like them. People are not able to internalize that this relationship is one-sided and is with a fictional character. Sometime during the past week,Continue reading “Alex Trebek. Aunt Becky. Not Your Friends.”

Banning “Traditional” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #32

As words, “traditional” and “tradition” conceal far more than they can ever reveal. Their connotations often center around static historical, narrow, privileged worldviews. While an outright ban would probably lack productivity, these words are used in such divergent ways, often with ulterior motives, so as to lack any specificity. Thoughts about “banning” the word “traditional”Continue reading “Banning “Traditional” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #32″