Category Archives: Humanities Education

Fall of the Faculty

Posted on December 16, 2011 by briansandberg

I am currently reading Benjamin Ginsberg’s The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why it Matters (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). Ginsberg, a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University, provides a damning exposé … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Current Research, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

A Growing Francophonie

Posted on December 9, 2011 by briansandberg

Francophonie is apparently growing rapidly. Demographic studies of French-speaking populations suggest that French language use is increasing worldwide.  Francophonie is normally defined as the group of nations that have adopted French as an official language—including France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Haiti, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, French History, Globalization, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

College Student Study Habits

Posted on December 3, 2011 by briansandberg

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a new report on university and college student study habits, measures the number of hours that students spend a week in their studies and other activities.  The results provide some indication of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

Faculty Productivity Demonstrated

Posted on November 15, 2011 by briansandberg

A new report demonstrates that faculty can be incredibly productive, producing much more revenue for universities than their salaries cost. The report examines faculty at the University of Texas at Austin and was prepared by Mark A. Musick, an Assistant … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

Amazon Now Publishes Books

Posted on October 17, 2011 by briansandberg

Publishers and editors worldwide have been adjusting to developments in e-publishing, cutbacks in library acquisitions, the spread of e-readers, the growth of online booksellers, and the decline of independent bookstores. Now, publishers face new challenges from Amazon, which has begun … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Publishing, Digital Humanities, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

Early Modern French Historian Wins MacArthur Fellowship

Posted on September 21, 2011 by briansandberg

Jacob Soll, a historian of early modern French history, has won one of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowships. Soll works on information management and state development in early modern France.  He has published books on Publishing ‘The Prince’, about a French … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, French History, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

Understanding Europe

Posted on September 4, 2011 by briansandberg

American business students often wonder why they should be concerned with learning about European culture, society, and history. Here are a few data points that suggest the importance of Europe for American businesspeople and for the American economy: The American … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, European History, French History, Globalization, Humanities Education, Northern Illinois University | 1 Comment

Historical Research and Human Subjects

Posted on August 27, 2011 by briansandberg

Academic researchers who work on human subjects are required to request authorization from boards that review research methods for potential ethical violations. The goal is to ensure that human subjects in research studies (especially medical experiments, drug trials, and psychological … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Archival Research, Graduate Work in History, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

Today’s College Freshmen

Posted on August 24, 2011 by briansandberg

Welcome to the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year as summer ends and classes begin again. Each fall semester, Beloit College publishes “The Mindset List,” a humorous attempt to capture the attitudes and experiences of incoming college freshmen students. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, Humanities Education, Northern Illinois University | Leave a comment

Shame in Academic Writing

Posted on August 4, 2011 by briansandberg

We professors and graduate students in the humanities all struggle with academic writing.  Formulating new research agendas, carrying out fieldwork, developing rigorous analysis, applying appropriate methodologies, and discerning fresh interpretations of sources is difficult enough.  And, then the writing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Publishing, Graduate Work in History, Humanities Education, Writing Methods | Leave a comment