Pat Logan's Web Log
This personal Web page is not an official University of Rhode Island Web page. See URI disclaimer
Note: When I converted this blog from a too long html page to a database-driven version, some of the links (references to other blog postings) were broken. I'll get around to scrubbing these out over time, but in the interim, please forgive any inconvenience.
Oct. 31, 2014
"Going Multidisciplinary": Reflections on URI General Education Outcomes, goal 11, multidisciplinary education. (full post)
Oct. 4, 2014
"CNN's Medical Science Disconnect": A student's diligence creates a teachable moment highlighting a dangerous internet-facilitated distortion of science, one which feeds the anti-vaccination movement. (full post)
Sep. 19, 2014
"Unscientific America: Can Communication Studies Help?": Links to recent databases on curricula in scientific communications and web development / internet studies in communications and writing programs at leading research and NCA doctoral-granting universities. (full post)
Oct. 16, 2013
"You Do Not Speak Our Language": Thoughts upon ending 26 years of teaching science writing. (full post)
Oct. 13, 2013
"HTML and the Web": Discussion of the timeless and continually evolving role of html as the backbone of today's web. (full post)
Sep. 29, 2013
"Is Web Development on the Right Track at URI?": How web pages are made by web developers. Is URI's forced migration of 80% of academic web content to WordPress a move in the wrong direction? (full post)
Jan. 29, 2013
"Problem Statement": Introduction to the opening lecture of my course, COM455, Science and Communication in a Century of Limits. (full post)
Jan. 27, 2013
"Communicating Science": Thoughts on science and communication both as a topic in a recent conference and as an area for future growth in the Harrington School for Communications and Media. (full post)
Jan. 25, 2013
"Critical Enabling Technology": Reflection on the roll of web development courses in academic curricula under the Harrington School of Communications and Media at URI. (full post)
Dec. 17, 2012
"Assuming Sustainability": A meeting on teaching sustainability in URI courses prompts reflections and suggests a critical catalyzing role for the Harrington School of Communication and Media. (full post)
April 2, 2012
"Communications and Vision": Thoughts on planning within Communication Studies and The Harrington School of Communication and Media (full post)
Mar. 24, 2012
"Can We Teach This?": Disney Land, the corporate state, and the corporate university. Five things all URI graduates need to know that we are not teaching. (full post)
Mar. 10, 2012
"What Should They Know?": Six perspectives on change illustrate a divergence of process (skills and technology) from substance (knowledge); which direction is more important for our students? (full post)
Feb. 2, 2012
"Wall Street (Journal) Science: Why Scientists Must Engage the Public": Published exchanges of letters on climate change illustrate the approaches used by climate deniers and the responses of qualified climate scientists, creating a teachable moment in one of my courses. (full post)
Dec. 19, 2011
"Robbing Oxygen: Persuading Faculty to Retire": Questions on the retirement incentives for URI faculty and staff. (full post)
Oct. 10, 2011
"Occupy Wall Street: Seizing the Teachable Moment": Urging the University to increase its awareness of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its underlying social, economic, and political meanings; suggestions for those who seeking reading to understand more. (full post)
Sep. 14, 2011
"Kurzweil’s Singularity": Summary of the September 13, 2011, Honors Colloquium presentation by Ray Kurzweil, and comments on Burke’s concept of technological psychosis. (full post)
Sep. 1, 2011
"URI Can Have 21st Century General Education": Two previous stages in the evolution of general education (focus on a leadership class and meeting demands for an enhanced American work force) face challenge from the need to renew the higher education social contract in light of 21st century realities. (full post)
Aug. 29, 2011
"Walking That Divergent Road": Traditional and novel approaches to general education reform are contrasted, and a departure from what appears to be our current reform trajectory is urged. (full post)
Aug. 21, 2011
"Reforming General Education: New Fabric for the New Century": Reform of general education provides opportunity to act on a new vision and curricular structures aimed at addressing challenges of the twenty-first century. (full post)
Aug. 15, 2011
"Blue Ribbon Oblivion": Commentary and text, Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of URI (July 2009). (full post)
Aug.10, 2011
"Discontent with Globalization at URI": Comments on two reports on global citizenry, a goal of the URI Academic Plan. (full post)
July 10, 2011
"Deciding to Engage. Or, not.": The key to the future economy is to understand that we are deciding to engage, or not. Even as we choose not to act, we are deciding how we will act. (full post)
June 25, 2011
"No Impact Man: Low impact URI Common Read Book for 2011": Synopsis, critique, and reflections on No Impact Man, by Colin Beavan, the URI Common Reading selection for 2011. (full post)
Jan. 1, 2011
"Stocking Lecture Notes": Comments on lectures written for COM455, Science and Communications for a Century of Limits, for fall 2010; failure of higher education to confront climate change and planetary limits; an end to global patrimony and hopeful implications for population decline. (full post)
Aug. 23, 2010
"A Hope in the Unseen: The URI common reading selection for 2010": A review of Ron Suskind's book chosen for a URI community reading for 2010, with after-thoughts. (full post)
May 23, 2010
"Rubrics for the Board": A review of the statutes, mission, and membership of the RI Board of Higher Education, with suggestions for a new framework to depoliticize and advance a more progressive advocacy roll for governing higher ed. (full post)
May 21, 2010
"Curmudgeons, Agitators, and Rhetorical Universities": Reflections on Stanley FIsh's Save the World on Your Own Time, on the nature of curmudgeons and pedants, and on the need for agitators. (full post)
May 10, 2010
"The Future at URI": In which questions are asked about where and how the university acts to address the future of its graduates, and the role of planning for acting. (full post)
May 1, 2010
"Richard Heinberg: A Conversation": A brief conversation with writer and most influential American, Richard Heinberg, on April 26, in South Kingstown. (full post)
Apr. 28, 2010
"Status of Sustainability Education at URI": The role of URI's sustainability minor is examined in the context of URI's Climate Action and Academic plans; does URI's approach measure up to the challenges from climate and energy change that face us during the rest of this century? (full post)
Apr. 17, 2010
"Transforming the World": Commentary on Dr. David Dooley's inaugural address; suggestion for a strategic plan congruent with the President's address. (full post)
Apr. 12, 2010
"Inaugural Symbolism": Commentary on the Dooley inauguration of April 8; consideration of the roles of politics, business, and religion in the inauguration; reflections on the keynote address by Greg Boyd. (full post)
Apr. 1, 2010
"Transformauguration": Comments on URI Presidential Inauguration: Speaker Greg Boyd and his book The Myth of a Christian Nation and selection of events related to "Transforming the World." (full post)
February 27, 2010
"Climate Change Idiocracy": Naomi Oreste's March 2 campus visit prompts reflections on Pew Research polls showing retrogression in American understanding of climate change; musings on the nature of problems and solutions. (full post)
September 4, 2009
"Blue Ribbon Preface": Notes on the Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of URI; thank you to Commission Chair Andrew Harris. (full post)
March 9, 2009
"We can’t do this anymore": Commentary on the shortened time span in the charge to the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of URI. (full post)
November 24, 2008
"URI Visions": The Provost's Academic Vision exercise is contrasted with the self-serving, bogus STAC report, "Building the Future at the University of Rhode Island: Research, Innovation & Economic Growth." (full post)
May 30, 2008
"Campus Trajectory": Thoughts on State budget cutting and the withdrawal of the social contract between the State and URI. (full post)
March 20, 2008
"Un-sustainable": The over-used phrase sustainability needs to be replaced; why, and with what? (full post)
March 9, 2008
"Aware Enough": We have adequate awareness of global limits and the implications for crisis in the future. Why are we not acting? (full post)
February 24, 2008
"Far Field": In which it is proposed to begin a web log on the subject of the University of Rhode Island and its bearing on the world around it. (full post)