Halfway through the fall semester and I’m weighing in with my…what’s this?…second weekly entry? Wow—really thought that I’d be able to keep pace better than that. So…where are we? Heading into the Cold War in my modern US classes and … Continue reading
If you’re here from the Radio Misterioso site, please know that Weird-Specific stuff is now posted at http://saucerio.tumblr.com (although if you look around, there’s some paranormal stuff here as well!)
Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth by John Garth My rating: 4 of 5 stars An incredible work, that almost makes me wish I had stayed an English major all those years ago. Although I have read … Continue reading
I’d been toying with the idea of keeping track of the semester in some sort of weekly/biweekly way. Instead of doing further toying or thinking, I decided to just go ahead and do it. This is for me to keep … Continue reading
A few months ago, Dean Mary Cusack asked me if I would like to present some historical remarks at the unveiling of MCC’s September 11 memorial. I said yes, and—within days—found myself completely at a loss as to how I … Continue reading
Contactees: A History of Alien-human Interaction by Nicholas Redfern My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nick Redfern’s survey of the Contactee phenomenon is certainly well-done, but I wonder if he should have avoided sacrificing depth for breadth. We’re given some … Continue reading
Niftily, I was awarded a Faculty Innovation Award to work on some stuff involving maps, history, and assessment of student learning. One of the conditions of the award is to periodically provide some updates on progress. I thought, in the … Continue reading
It’s no secret among those I talk to (colleagues, family, friends, passers-by) that’ I’m not a huge fan of BlackBoard, the behemoth Learning Management System (LMS) that my school and countless others use. My list of complaints is brief, but … Continue reading
Once again this year I was privileged to participate in Great Lakes THATcamp, held at MSU. Following are a few loosely organized thoughts about the experience. If possible, things were even more friendly and collegial than last year. Great mix … Continue reading
History, and its related but distinct concept, “the past,” are constant presences during the original 26 season run of Doctor Who. In the series’ early years, it carried an educational mandate and the historical stories of the black and white … Continue reading
