Higher education: the skills students need
Written by Steven Schwartz on August 27th, 2008
A couple of newspaper stories this week caught my eye. At first glance they seem to have no connection, but taken together they raise some interesting questions for educators.
The first article (in the Sydney Morning Herald), ‘Plugged-in politics hits our shores’ concerns what the author calls ‘Politics 2.0’ (a reference to the Web 1.0 […]
Let’s make sure democracy is not a fleeting thing
Written by Steven Schwartz on August 21st, 2008
Last night, a celebration took place. It was designed to commemorate the centenary of an event, which, at the time, captured the attention of Australia.
One hundred years ago this week, American battle ships steamed passed South Head on their way into Sydney Harbour. The 16 vessels, belching steam and glistening in the sun, filled the […]
Huff puff or a dark threat to journalism?
Written by Steven Schwartz on August 14th, 2008
There’s a fascinating article in the August edition of Prospect magazine about the remarkable Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the equally remarkable Huffington Post, said to be one of the world’s most influential blogs.
Apart from detailing biographical information about Huffington, Andrew Keen’s article also discusses the impact that sites such as the […]
Free speech – have your say
Written by Steven Schwartz on August 11th, 2008
Recently I chaired the Big Ideas Forum hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies at the Sydney Opera House. Scholars and commentators such as Frank Furedi and Ayaan Hirsi Ali discussed the topic ‘The Ideas of the Enlightenment in the 21st Century’.
The Enlightenment, of course, refers to that time beginning in the 17th century when […]
Higher education: Postmodernism rides again?
Written by Steven Schwartz on August 7th, 2008
I thought postmodernism had ridden off into the sunset after a brief sojourn on the higher education stage. But apparently not so – it seems pomo is alive and well and damaging our students.
According to this month’s Australian Literary Review postmodernism is ruining our universities. The ALR features an article – Paralysed by Postmodernism - […]