Often, people don’t recognize how multifaceted the answers are to “what is religion?,” “what are the sources of theologies,” “what are the components of theologies?” Talking about Christianity, the Bible is often seen as the theological source. By recognizing how the… Read More ›
writing
Recalling the Books I Read in 2018
During 2018, I read about 9,000 (!!) student writing assignments, at least a thousand or so articles, and 35 books, listed below. In addition, I “read” and studied lots and lots of popular cultural texts (songs, movies, tv shows). American Fascists:… Read More ›
Fall 2018 Class Pictures!
Had such a wonderful semester, one full of great conversations and learning! Taught six classes: Introduction to Queer Studies (three sections); Introduction to Women’s Studies; Religions and the United States; and First Year Writing I–Identity, Meaning, & Film. And the… Read More ›
“Think For Yourself” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #31
According to Southern mores, “bless your heart” is typically a veiled insult, despite its sympathetic denotation. “Think for yourself” has a similar, contradictory function. Think-for-yourself phraseology appears in my inbox regularly, but only when I have publicly expressed my most… Read More ›
“Implications” and the Rhetorical Framing of Critiques – Hidden Power of Words Series, #30
Suggestions that something is classist, racist, or sexist, for example, are often met with dismissively hostile words. People say, “you’re thinking too hard,” “you’re looking to cause trouble,” “you can find [fill in the blank] anywhere if you look hard… Read More ›
Body, Country, and Betrayal: A Poem
Your body will betray you. Without consent or reason, Without preparation or solution, Without fairness or predictability, Pain and tumors will colonize. Ideologies and histories colonize, too. Suffering will reign in the body. Your body will betray you, Until an… Read More ›
Notes on: “They” as a Gender
Just as with countless other words in English and in other languages, the word “they” does not have any one meaning, nor is its meaning fixed in time. The dictionary defines they as follows: And as will be clear to more… Read More ›