By Tracy Mitrano. Along with a developmental approach to history, I warm to a notion of societies having traits associated with individual personalities. Given that societies are made up of people, it is not too much of an intellectual stretch, although I caution myself with the understanding that psychology in general and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in particular are, themselves, historicized. More...23 juillet 2017
All the Future in an Op-Ed
By Tracy Mitrano. “The Real Threat of Artificial Intelligence,” an op-ed in The New York Times, is the important article you can read and contemplate this week. Its kernel concept: forget the sci-fi concerns about AI, reducing humans to cyborgs; the real threat comes in age-old questions about the distribution of power among the humans who control it. More...
Should I Run for Congress?
By Tracy Mitrano. I have a sincere question for my readers whose thoughts I request to help me think through what has been on my mind of late: Should I run for the 23rd New York State Congressional District. More...
The Internet Party - What this country most needs
By Tracy Mitrano. With Republicans disgracing themselves and the Democrats in disarray, we need a new political party in the United States. How about an Internet Party? Its purpose would be to see issues from the perspective of information, technology and the internet. In other words, to think in terms of this century, not the last. More...
Resentment
By Tracy Mitrano. David Brooks, New York Times columnist and commentator on PBS News Hour, was never before my favorite but of late he has routinely been hitting the nail on the head when it comes to his assessment of Donald Trump and the effect that his presidency is having on the United States. More...
America’s Borderline Personality
By Tracy Mitrano. Along with a developmental approach to history, I warm to a notion of societies having traits associated with individual personalities. Given that societies are made up of people, it is not too much of an intellectual stretch, although I caution myself with the understanding that psychology in general and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in particular are, themselves, historicized. More...The Broken Internet
By Tracy Mitrano. For so many reasons I remain deeply grateful to Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, Department of Human Development, for hiring me. In part, I am grateful because while teaching there I learned to incorporate a developmental model into my thinking. More...Cal Needs A Bailout
By John Warner. At some point, the University of California-Berkeley is going to need a bailout.
Writing at Deadspin, and using a vulgarism for the condition California’s flagship university finds itself in, Patrick Redford outlines the albatross that has become the California Golden Bears’ football stadium. More...
The Education Writer Gospel of 'Academically Adrift'
By John Warner. As one becomes deeply involved in an issue – becomes expert, if you will – it’s hard not to see all the ways that the broader public discussion of this issue with which one has become conversant gets distorted and developed in unproductive ways. More...
Algorithmic Assessment vs. Critical Reflection
By John Warner. So the University of Michigan is going to be experimenting with a “text-analysis” tool added into their existing M-Write digital/algorithmic writing pedagogy initiative, which is meant to integrate more writing into large courses, particularly in the sciences. More...
The Necessity of Looking Stupid
By John Warner. When anthropologist Lauren Herckis tried to figure out why new teaching strategies developed at Carnegie Mellon were not being widely adopted, she found that one of the reasons instructors were hesitant was because their “No. 1 challenge was to make sure that they were not an embarrassment to [themselves] in front of students.” More...
