Nerd News: Journalism School Misspells Own Diplomas

SPELL CHECK, YO!

Nerd News: Rutgers Professor Is Suspended

And pray tell, WHY?  Because he admitted to the class that he was teaching a subject he knew nothing about and was not qualified to teach.   You might get a wry smile out of the topic of the class: Human Aggression.

Nerd Fun: Hilariously Reductive Theses

The brilliant blog Lol My Thesis invites nerds to submit humorous summaries of their research projects, theses, and dissertations.  My current top 3 favorites:

3) "Screw you. Love, the Polish language" - linguistics thesis from Cornell

2) "Rats like cocaine" - a psychology thesis from Reed College

And a drum roll for the best of them all ...

1)  "Why is the Security Council dysfunctional? Because the Russians are devious liars" - a political science thesis from the University of Pennsylvania

Nerd Fun: Odd College Mascots

LOL: False Dichotomy Du Jour

Is it better to be hot or to have a college degree?   Why choose? What's wrong with being both hot and educated?  Isn't that what my buddies and I have been trying to promote?  Oh, and let me add this too: during job interviews, it might help to be hot and all, but it also helps to have good social skills -- something that a LOT of people, especially egghead academics, do not have!  

Great Moments in Higher Education: Get a PhD in Manga Studies

No, really!  The announcement just went out from Kyoto Seika University, which already offers a master's in Manga Studies.  Here's the program website.

Nerd News: Free Inquiry and Expression on Campus? YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG

First there was this moronic dean, and now we get a couple egregiously imbecilic professors who verbally assaulted students who held opposing political opinions.  

Dear idiot professors,  

Please leave my chosen profession; you make it look stupid.  Your attempt to silence opposing viewpoints instead of engaging them with thoughtful and courteous debate is an utter disgrace and total repudiation of everything that academia should be, and, frankly, you make me sick.  I would say that you should be ashamed of yourselves, but I am fairly certain that you are incapable of even pretending to blush at your own transgressions.  May a thousand Hello Kitties like Furies of old haunt your dreams night and day with shiny pink clouds and singing gumdrop rainbows until you realize the extent of your sins.

Sincerely,
MM

Friday Fun Video: The Physics of "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"

Absolutely hilarious and clever in that nerdy/geeky kind of way!  You'll never look at the children's cartoon show in the same way again.

Nerd News: Academic Freedom? YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.

Read this summary of a current campus controversy at the University of California at San Diego (my emphasis in boldface):

When two faculty members disagree about issues related to research, is it right for an administrator to intervene? 

A faculty committee at the University of California at San Diego examined that question in a report this week that finds that a dean responded to a dispute between two professors by telling one not to publish or speak out about the other's research. And that order, the committee concluded, violated basic principles of academic freedom. 

"Faculty members’ rights to study, re-analyze, and publish controversial scholarly materials cannot be abridged," says the report from the UCSD Committee on Academic Freedom. "These rights to academic freedom cannot be administratively revoked to prevent possible future breaching of professional norms. In our view, the campus administration’s fundamental responsibility is precisely to protect the right of faculty members to research and publish scholarly work even when others, on or off campus, find the work or its conclusions controversial or objectionable."

Well, DUH.

Nerd News: Canadian Priest Gets PhD in Snowboarding

I don't even know what to say about this one.  Neil Elliot's degree was awarded by Kingston University in London, England.  The nerdy, sporty priest wrote his diss on the spirituality of snowboarding.

Nerd News: Undergrads Not Learning Critical Thinking

Well, DUH.  Link via law prof Ann Althouse.

Many of the students graduated without knowing how to sift fact from opinion, make a clear written argument or objectively review conflicting reports of a situation or event, according to New York University sociologist Richard Arum, lead author of the study...

UPDATE: I just got this related news story from one of my former undergrads.

Great Moments in Higher Education: Take a Class in Zombie Movies at the University of Maryland

No, really!

Nerd/Geek News: German University Teaches Computer Geeks How to Flirt

Here's the news story.  Blurb:

Even the most quirky of computer nerds can learn to flirt with finesse thanks to a new "flirting course" being offered to budding IT engineers at Potsdam University south of Berlin. 

The 440 students enrolled in the master's degree course will learn how to write flirtatious text messages and emails, impress people at parties and cope with rejection. 

Nerd News: Grade Inflation in Law School

Are you serious?

One day next month every student at Loyola Law School Los Angeles will awake to a higher grade point average.

But it’s not because they are all working harder.

The school is retroactively inflating its grades, tacking on 0.333 to every grade recorded in the last few years. The goal is to make its students look more attractive in a competitive job market.

*Sigh.* Law prof Ann Althouse has a nice commentary.

Great Moments in Higher Education: Majoring in Magic

Meet a college Instudent whose major is magic.

(Or perhaps I should say, "ILLUSION, Michael.")

Great Moments in Higher Education: Nerd Romance (or Not) at Yale

I'm being sarcastic, sort of. I mean, this is headline news?

Yale has a new ban. Some people seem to think that it's a really bad idea. Is it, though? Call me a prude, but I do NOT think instructors should date any student whom they are teaching in a class.

Great Moments in Education: the "Twilight" Lesson Plan

Oh, brother. Apparently kids these days can't read, write, or do math, so here's a lesson plan that includes the following (after the teacher divides the classes into 3 groups -- Team Edward and Team Jacob, natch, and 1 Team Bella):

Ask the Team Edward and Team Jacob groups to come up with a short presentation about why Bella would be better off with their character. They should provide clear evidence and consider the following questions, among others (feel free to add your own prompts):

1. How did your character treat Bella?
2. What impact did your character have on Bella’s emotions and on her life in general?

Team Bella can prepare an argument about why they believe neither guy is worth Bella’s time. Like the other groups, they should be ready to provide evidence.

After each group makes its presentation, allow the opposing group to challenge with questions and debate.

Are you serious?!

Nerd News: Highs and Lows of Oddball University Degrees

Here is an interesting look at unusual degree plans in the UK. Some have merit (of various sorts), while others clearly deserve this blog's sarcastic "Great Moments in Higher Education" label.

Nerd News: PhD Programs Shrinking In the Recession

Universities are trying to cut costs, and one way to do it is to accept fewer graduate students (and thereby give out fewer fellowships). This story from Inside Higher Ed points out the obvious first place to cut grad student admissions: the humanities.

EVERYBODY NERD PANIC!

Then again, there seem to be more PhDs already out there than there are jobs for them, so maybe the cost-cutting measure has a secondary effect as a (harsh) corrective.

Great Moments in Higher Education: Yale Campus Paper Ponders Zombie Apocalypse

Seriously, the term "zombie apocalypse" appeared in this story from the Yale Daily News. The opening sentence: "Is Yale prepared for a zombie attack?"

At least the piece seems to be mostly tongue-in-cheek.

And, yes, this was an excuse to have another frivolous post about zombies -- who, by the way, do have their own category tag on this blog. (I is a serius skolar!)

A thought: maybe I should make a new category -- "Life Imitates Silly Internet Quiz." Remember this?