Matt Chalmers
@mjchalmers.bsky.social
Educator, researcher, scholar of religion | nota bene: guy to ask about Samaritans
Working through editorial feedback for a book review for a Classics journal (not something I do often) and golly
Classics is the only discipline I work with where comments about how a book helps redirect the field get read as an attack. *So* much defensive gatekeeping
Classics is the only discipline I work with where comments about how a book helps redirect the field get read as an attack. *So* much defensive gatekeeping
September 26, 2024 at 5:25 PM
Working through editorial feedback for a book review for a Classics journal (not something I do often) and golly
Classics is the only discipline I work with where comments about how a book helps redirect the field get read as an attack. *So* much defensive gatekeeping
Classics is the only discipline I work with where comments about how a book helps redirect the field get read as an attack. *So* much defensive gatekeeping
I once wrote an article about the parable of the Good Samaritan that people apparently read. So far, 80k people have watched this collab with Religion for Breakfast which breaks it down - so if you want to see how this all translates to public scholarship, have a peek www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Yy...
The Most Misunderstood Parable of Jesus
Compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription by going to https://ground.news/religionfor...
www.youtube.com
May 24, 2024 at 2:39 PM
I once wrote an article about the parable of the Good Samaritan that people apparently read. So far, 80k people have watched this collab with Religion for Breakfast which breaks it down - so if you want to see how this all translates to public scholarship, have a peek www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Yy...
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
I did not realize that West Virginia University's plans to cut its entire world languages and literature department is yet another example of supposedly "data-driven" admins eliminating a humanities program that their own data shows is a profit center:
www.languagemagazine.com/2023/08/15/w...
www.languagemagazine.com/2023/08/15/w...
February 17, 2024 at 3:47 PM
I did not realize that West Virginia University's plans to cut its entire world languages and literature department is yet another example of supposedly "data-driven" admins eliminating a humanities program that their own data shows is a profit center:
www.languagemagazine.com/2023/08/15/w...
www.languagemagazine.com/2023/08/15/w...
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
This is 100% true in academia, too. So many of the things that administrators do work much worse than what was being done before but make sense when you realize administrators need stuff on their CVs
This is very very smart if your goal is to produce a powerpoint slide that a manager can use in their "what did i do the last quarter" check in and not very smart if you want your workers to feel valued or empowered or really even if you care about the quality of the output.
January 23, 2024 at 5:35 PM
This is 100% true in academia, too. So many of the things that administrators do work much worse than what was being done before but make sense when you realize administrators need stuff on their CVs
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
Business culture and American society in general needs less management and more leadership. That sounds kind of trite and dumb but management culture in my experience is really geared around *making the manager look good to their bosses* which is actually cancer to the overall organization.
January 23, 2024 at 5:28 PM
Business culture and American society in general needs less management and more leadership. That sounds kind of trite and dumb but management culture in my experience is really geared around *making the manager look good to their bosses* which is actually cancer to the overall organization.
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
“The second issue, but the more important one…is that RCM/ IBB has been a soft coup that steals power at the university away from the faculty.”
University budgets are bad and should feel bad
From me & @lollardfish.bsky.social
FREE TO READ & SHARE (but please subscribe)
University budgets are bad and should feel bad
From me & @lollardfish.bsky.social
FREE TO READ & SHARE (but please subscribe)
University budgets are moral documents
Universities are creating a(n intentional) recursive doom loop for the Humanities
buttondown.email
January 23, 2024 at 5:40 PM
“The second issue, but the more important one…is that RCM/ IBB has been a soft coup that steals power at the university away from the faculty.”
University budgets are bad and should feel bad
From me & @lollardfish.bsky.social
FREE TO READ & SHARE (but please subscribe)
University budgets are bad and should feel bad
From me & @lollardfish.bsky.social
FREE TO READ & SHARE (but please subscribe)
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
The "butts in seats" budget model of universities contributes to, or at least doesn't help, many seemingly unrelated problems:
- administrative bloat
- grade inflation & dumbed-down courses
- adjunctification
- alienation & social isolation of students
- inter-unit competition vs. cooperation
More:
- administrative bloat
- grade inflation & dumbed-down courses
- adjunctification
- alienation & social isolation of students
- inter-unit competition vs. cooperation
More:
It is my pre-existing belief (so you might want to be wary of my analysis )that models of revenue sharing, shifting core curriculum requirements, and the establishment of undergraduate business majors lie at the heart of the destruction of the modern university. Today's case: U Chicago. /1
January 17, 2024 at 1:45 PM
The "butts in seats" budget model of universities contributes to, or at least doesn't help, many seemingly unrelated problems:
- administrative bloat
- grade inflation & dumbed-down courses
- adjunctification
- alienation & social isolation of students
- inter-unit competition vs. cooperation
More:
- administrative bloat
- grade inflation & dumbed-down courses
- adjunctification
- alienation & social isolation of students
- inter-unit competition vs. cooperation
More:
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
As we’re fighting for pay increases that even come close to the rate of inflation, our class sizes increase & assigned time for service work is clawed back. Our buying power is eroding, and it impacts conditions for student learning.
January 17, 2024 at 3:26 PM
As we’re fighting for pay increases that even come close to the rate of inflation, our class sizes increase & assigned time for service work is clawed back. Our buying power is eroding, and it impacts conditions for student learning.
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
"Status between Law and Religion," our seminar issue of the Journal of Law and Religion is accessible w no paywall for a short while, so get it while it's hot! www.cambridge.org/core/journal... @mjchalmers.bsky.social #Mishnah #Samaritans #Hindu #gods #religiousminorities
January 16, 2024 at 9:39 PM
"Status between Law and Religion," our seminar issue of the Journal of Law and Religion is accessible w no paywall for a short while, so get it while it's hot! www.cambridge.org/core/journal... @mjchalmers.bsky.social #Mishnah #Samaritans #Hindu #gods #religiousminorities
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
But because budgets are allocated by number of students, fewer instructors would mean fewer students thus justifying more cuts thus meaning fewer instructors this meaning fewer students thus justifying more cuts thus meaning fewer instructors this meaning fewer students thus justifying more cuts /4
January 16, 2024 at 1:18 PM
But because budgets are allocated by number of students, fewer instructors would mean fewer students thus justifying more cuts thus meaning fewer instructors this meaning fewer students thus justifying more cuts thus meaning fewer instructors this meaning fewer students thus justifying more cuts /4
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
It is my pre-existing belief (so you might want to be wary of my analysis )that models of revenue sharing, shifting core curriculum requirements, and the establishment of undergraduate business majors lie at the heart of the destruction of the modern university. Today's case: U Chicago. /1
January 16, 2024 at 1:08 PM
It is my pre-existing belief (so you might want to be wary of my analysis )that models of revenue sharing, shifting core curriculum requirements, and the establishment of undergraduate business majors lie at the heart of the destruction of the modern university. Today's case: U Chicago. /1
on reflection, I should not be surprised that an ethics centre headed by conservative senior faculty understands the avoidance of moral judgement as a general good
but depressing, nevertheless
but depressing, nevertheless
Q. What do a police officer, a victim of racism, a domestic violence survivor, and an NRA member have in common?
A. They are people who, according to a new initiative by the ethics centre(!) at one college I work at, we need to "unjudge". The horrid, moral emptiness of identity capitalism
A. They are people who, according to a new initiative by the ethics centre(!) at one college I work at, we need to "unjudge". The horrid, moral emptiness of identity capitalism
January 15, 2024 at 7:37 PM
on reflection, I should not be surprised that an ethics centre headed by conservative senior faculty understands the avoidance of moral judgement as a general good
but depressing, nevertheless
but depressing, nevertheless
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
70% of academic positions are now contingent, but this team of senior scholars recommends that you accept shitty colleagues and working conditions, be enthusiastic as fuck, don't hang in there longer than four years, and don't stop applying to job openings. www.chronicle.com/article/dos-...
January 11, 2024 at 10:50 PM
70% of academic positions are now contingent, but this team of senior scholars recommends that you accept shitty colleagues and working conditions, be enthusiastic as fuck, don't hang in there longer than four years, and don't stop applying to job openings. www.chronicle.com/article/dos-...
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
I think the main reason we talk about these op eds so much is that a decent society requires consequences for antisocial behavior. It's not like that needs to be the media's job but they shouldn't work hard to insure the opposite, which is their thing
It’s weird that op ed writers would rather tell everyone not in Trump rallies to go to Trump rallies instead of telling everyone in Trump rallies to be better human beings
January 15, 2024 at 5:20 PM
I think the main reason we talk about these op eds so much is that a decent society requires consequences for antisocial behavior. It's not like that needs to be the media's job but they shouldn't work hard to insure the opposite, which is their thing
Q. What do a police officer, a victim of racism, a domestic violence survivor, and an NRA member have in common?
A. They are people who, according to a new initiative by the ethics centre(!) at one college I work at, we need to "unjudge". The horrid, moral emptiness of identity capitalism
A. They are people who, according to a new initiative by the ethics centre(!) at one college I work at, we need to "unjudge". The horrid, moral emptiness of identity capitalism
January 15, 2024 at 7:15 PM
Q. What do a police officer, a victim of racism, a domestic violence survivor, and an NRA member have in common?
A. They are people who, according to a new initiative by the ethics centre(!) at one college I work at, we need to "unjudge". The horrid, moral emptiness of identity capitalism
A. They are people who, according to a new initiative by the ethics centre(!) at one college I work at, we need to "unjudge". The horrid, moral emptiness of identity capitalism
As the semester kicks off, the inevitable emails about how cool AI is ooze down from management. Here's a thread about how, regardless of AI being a good tool or not, it's not clear it's *ethical* atm
Two main points: environmental strain and labour 1/n
Two main points: environmental strain and labour 1/n
January 8, 2024 at 7:15 PM
As the semester kicks off, the inevitable emails about how cool AI is ooze down from management. Here's a thread about how, regardless of AI being a good tool or not, it's not clear it's *ethical* atm
Two main points: environmental strain and labour 1/n
Two main points: environmental strain and labour 1/n
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
I’m teaching an intro to religion class next term and have the chance to totally overhaul the syllabus, so, I’m not gonna ask y’all to do my work for me, but if you have a short reading in religious studies that rewired your brain/is worth sharing for you, drop it here.
December 24, 2023 at 9:23 PM
I’m teaching an intro to religion class next term and have the chance to totally overhaul the syllabus, so, I’m not gonna ask y’all to do my work for me, but if you have a short reading in religious studies that rewired your brain/is worth sharing for you, drop it here.
I do not understand why we still ask for multiple customized documents plus three letters of recommendation for 1-year visiting positions*
We really should just lift some of that unnecessary burden from junior and precarious colleagues
*also unnecessary for tenure-stream positions, as an aside
We really should just lift some of that unnecessary burden from junior and precarious colleagues
*also unnecessary for tenure-stream positions, as an aside
December 17, 2023 at 8:41 PM
I do not understand why we still ask for multiple customized documents plus three letters of recommendation for 1-year visiting positions*
We really should just lift some of that unnecessary burden from junior and precarious colleagues
*also unnecessary for tenure-stream positions, as an aside
We really should just lift some of that unnecessary burden from junior and precarious colleagues
*also unnecessary for tenure-stream positions, as an aside
Our new open-access article: without attention to non-European premodernity, can you properly understand minority status? (Co-authoring is fun - you can collate knowledge to throw some punches)
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 24, 2023 at 2:50 PM
Our new open-access article: without attention to non-European premodernity, can you properly understand minority status? (Co-authoring is fun - you can collate knowledge to throw some punches)
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
an awful lot of the time, the conditions for cuts in higher ed are just like this one
invented out of thin air for reasons that management either (1) use cynically or (2) train themselves to then consider to be vital
invented out of thin air for reasons that management either (1) use cynically or (2) train themselves to then consider to be vital
November 14, 2023 at 2:06 AM
an awful lot of the time, the conditions for cuts in higher ed are just like this one
invented out of thin air for reasons that management either (1) use cynically or (2) train themselves to then consider to be vital
invented out of thin air for reasons that management either (1) use cynically or (2) train themselves to then consider to be vital
Reposted by Matt Chalmers
When we bemoan how "things have changed" in academia, we can and should center the ongoing devastating toll of the pandemic on so many of us. If we're disengaged, at least for many of us, its because we're genuinely struggling to cope. And department "climate" or socializing is not a priority.
November 13, 2023 at 1:46 PM
When we bemoan how "things have changed" in academia, we can and should center the ongoing devastating toll of the pandemic on so many of us. If we're disengaged, at least for many of us, its because we're genuinely struggling to cope. And department "climate" or socializing is not a priority.
"people just realized how much of their lives were being taken up by stuff they weren't getting paid for" is the nail-on-head explanation for 90% of management headscratchers in higher ed
cheap free cookies aren't going to get extra attendance at faculty meetings and that's not surprising
cheap free cookies aren't going to get extra attendance at faculty meetings and that's not surprising
It's for sure the case over here. I help run trainings for people teaching in our core curriculum and the numbers have been abysmal since COVID. I think it's like long commutes - I think ppl just realized how much of their lives were being taken up by stuff they weren't getting paid for
November 13, 2023 at 2:46 PM
"people just realized how much of their lives were being taken up by stuff they weren't getting paid for" is the nail-on-head explanation for 90% of management headscratchers in higher ed
cheap free cookies aren't going to get extra attendance at faculty meetings and that's not surprising
cheap free cookies aren't going to get extra attendance at faculty meetings and that's not surprising