Welcome to the first essay in a series I am calling Prof. Procrastination. The short explanation is that I like to take breaks from academia with other forms of art, but I still can't shut off my thinker. If you want a little more explanation, check out my introductory post on the series. Two Notes…
Prof. Procrastination: A Series
This is more of an update post than a substantial post. I want to begin a side series while I am posting about my studies. I am calling this series "Prof. Procrastination." The Prof. stands for two things. Professor - While the normal abbreviation for professor includes the f, I am dropping it here in…
Smooth Uncles
I wrote last week about my Early American Literature class. This week, I'd like to mix it up and write about my other class: Advanced Studies in 20th/21st Century American Lit. The title is worthless because it basically means that so long as the majority of the literature covered comes from America during those eras,…
The Mythology of America
Alright, so one of my classes this semester is Early American Literature. In this class we cover an incredible swath of writers. The class starts with the founders. No not Hamilton. But preachers like John Winthrop, John Cotton, and Thomas Hooker. These are some of the first Puritan dudes to arrive in the new world.…
Relaunching, Rewriting, & Repurposing
I know it's not proper blog etiquette to write a post about how long it has been since you've written a post. However, I think, given the large-scale shift my life has taken in the nearly two years since I have posted, that I should repurpose this blog to fit my current life.
A Home for Historical Storytelling: Part 1
Life today is different from life at any other point in history. But that really is not true. Life today is moderately different from that of any other period in history, but it does share one important thing with every period in history: people. It may seem like I am trying to be "cute" here.…
Klosterman’s Razor and the Obdurate Present
Chuck Klosterman's But What if We're Wrong? explores the way we view current ideas compared to the way we view ideas of the past. What that more practically looks like is complicated. The gist of Klosterman's thesis is that the present can be better understood if viewed through the same paradigm through which we look…
Why do I study Literature? Why should anyone?
The short answer: because literature makes humans human. Literature benefits humanity in many ways. Aside from the general mental health benefits of reading and the associated activities, literature fosters empathy within readers; it connects the present to the past (or perhaps in genre fiction, to the future); its “story truth” gives way to a more…
Not “save me from the world,” but “save the world from me.”
In this very interesting article Can Jesus Save the World From Christians?, Pastor Morgan Guyton expresses his belief that as Christians, we must be seeking sanctification and justification from God rather than what he calls "afterlife insurance" that is auctioned off at many churches in America these days. "Afterlife insurance" speaks toward the way that salvation is…
Gamify Learning
James Paul Gee talks about the relationship between gaming and education and the flaws within the education system that games address. I am going to write up an article on gaming and education after I do some more research, I am interested in unconventional sources to incorporate in learning. And gaming in the classroom seems…
Handful of Broken 