Re-imagining a liberal art: science

by | Jan 7, 2011 | The Public Humanist

Although the plight of the humanities occupies the ever fretful academy, the sciences also face a dilemma. Are the sciences just technical training, or are they intended to broaden students intellectual horizons? In my experience, current practice in most...

The Uses of Social Media for Filmmakers

by | Jan 10, 2011 | The Public Humanist

Social media is the worst form of media, besides all those others. Apologies to Winston Churchill for repurposing his famous quote on democracy. Isn’t that what we often do with social media, repurpose quotes and video (or sometimes just copy and paste)? For...

Historiographical Gulf

by | Jan 24, 2011 | The Public Humanist

Twenty years ago today the Gulf War began. I remember it well. I was in Zaire that Thursday morning, riding atop the back of a lorry through the rainforest, when first I heard news that “Desert Shield” had become “Desert Storm.” One of my...

Hecho en Socialismo: Made in Socialism

by | Jan 27, 2011 | The Public Humanist

I was sitting in the make-up chair for the morning news show at Globovision, a large cable network station in Caracas, Venezuela a few weeks ago. As the assistant touched up the liver spots on my bald head (they form the shape of the Hawaiian Islands to exact scale),...