Each time I teach the Introduction to Digital Humanities (ENG 484/584) course the students tell me that their favorite experience is the day we spend in the Center for American War Letters Archive, transcribing primary source documents. The power of holding tangible historical objects overpowers any abstract discussion we have about scholarly practices or any
We watched this TED talk by Stella Young to start off today’s HIST 233 class (Disability in American Life): This video is a powerful one, that speaks to the ways that people with disabilities are treated in today’s society. Stella’s no-nonsense speaking about “disability porn” and the objectification of disabled people works well to disrupt
Two things happened to me this week that might not seem related, but in some ways I believe they are. On Thursday night I teach until 10pm. It’s really the latest that I’ve ever hung out on campus, as I exit the classroom building at that hour and make my way across the
Last night I taught the first session of HIST 233: Disability in American Life. One of our initial activities was to discuss our “Class Rules.” To begin this discussion, I asked the students what were some typical Class Rules that they’d had in other courses at Chapman. The listed the following: No bathroom breaks No
Back when I was a student, I hated the first day of classes (aka Read the Syllabus Day). One semester I rather snarkily informed each of my professors how much I’d paid for their class that day, and that I didn’t feel as though I was getting my money’s worth when the day consisted of
I spend a lot of time supporting Adjunct Faculty in their use of pedagogical technology (Chapman employs about 400 adjunct faculty each semester). In fact, many of the most innovative uses of technology on our campus come from our Adjuncts. That’s one reason, among many, that the findings of this study about the effectiveness of
Now that the semester is nearing an end, here’s an idea for getting better student evaluations: Have them write a letter to students taking this class in the future.