I recently learned that Dr. Ben Schmidt made a website about gendered language in teacher reviews. Here’s the explanation on the website about what it offers: This interactive chart lets you explore the words used to describe male and female teachers in about 14 million reviews from RateMyProfessor.com. You can enter any other word (or two-word phrase) into the box below to see how it is split across gender and discipline: the x-axis gives how many times your term is... Read more
I’ve loved, and when possible helped organize, gatherings of bloggers at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. However, I gave up thinking of it as a “bibliobloggers” gathering long ago, since I am involved in AAR as well as SBL and know that there can be long stretches during which my own blogging fails to fit into that category, when there’s a lot about science fiction and little related to the Bible. Then I gave up thinking... Read more
The editors are currently soliciting abstract submissions for an edited volume focusing on Transgressive Women in Speculative Fiction. The interconnection of speculative fiction, transgressions against social norms, gender studies, and global perspectives is compelling because speculative fiction allows for a unique approach to social critiques. The worlds that are created in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and dystopian futures allow the genre to explore new or imaginative societies, detached from existing or historical social structures. Such an environment of speculation has... Read more
I thought I would share the thoughts that were part of my panel presentation as part of this year’s Spirit and Place Festival, just before the performance of John Rutter’s Requiem. My qualification when the panel was organized was the fact that I teach a course on the Bible and music, and love Rutter’s music. Before the event took place, I added additional qualifications as my father passed away and I attended a concert the following day for which my family already... Read more
I thought I would share the complete original version of my review of Nicholaus Pumphrey’s book Superman and the Bible, which I edited (and probably improved in the process) for publication in Reading Religion, the book review outlet of AAR, where it has now appeared. Review of Nicholaus Pumphrey, Superman and the Bible By James F. McGrath, Butler University Pumphrey’s book seeks to accomplish a number of heroic feats at once, illustrating what happens when a self-professed comic book nerd who... Read more
This article gets things exactly right. Digital skills cannot be either an “add-on” or the purview of computer science majors. And “digital natives” are faster with their thumbs but that isn’t the same as knowing how to discern reliable information on the internet they surf more fluidly and freely. From the article: “Today’s traditional-age students are digital natives. Google and Wi-Fi have been available for as long as they can remember; the first iPhone came out when they were in... Read more
Last week, Butler University took over the Academic Minute podcast. Mine appeared on Wednesday and in it (after I was introduced as “John”) I talked about the work I have been doing with Ankur Gupta, my friend and colleague in Computer Science, on the subject of Artificial Wisdom. Have a listen: James McGrath, Butler University – Artificial Wisdom Yes, they did get my name wrong and call me “John.” 🙁 On a related note, Daniel H. Wilson (author of bestselling science... Read more
The people of Israel, as depicted in the Hebrew Bible, often seem unrealistic. How could a people experience the Exodus from Egypt, the conquest of Canaan, and still other miraculous deliverances, only to continually turn away from faithful exclusive devotion to the one God? Historians have an answer to that, one that is different from a theological or narrative answer, and I think it is worth reflecting on, since it highlights something that historical critical approaches to the Bible can... Read more
Let me start this post with a quote from a recent Bloomberg article: Recent research suggests that contrary to the popular idea that majoring in art or literature is a route to personal penury and a contributor to industrial decline, there are actually plenty of science majors, except among low-income students. Moreover, while newly minted graduates with science and technical degrees enjoy a salary premium over their classmates in the humanities, that premium fades over time, in part because technological skills... Read more
There is a new book coming out that I am eager to read about composer James MacMillan. He talks about his work composing music for use in his local congregation here: Another interview on this topic, in which he discusses (among other things) the search for the sacred in modern music, and the capacity of music to explore the mysterious without and beyond words, setting music apart even from other arts in the sense to which it transcends and... Read more
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