The first day of the fall semester of my senior undergraduate year, I ran into a friend of mine, a fellow history major, outside of the student union building at the research university we attended. We stopped and talked for a bit, updating each other on our lives and comparing our fall schedules. My friend had just been to the university bookstore, and he showed me a textbook he had just bought for a History of the Old South class that the history department was offering that fall. Intrigued, I sat in on the class and became immediately hooked. I added the class to my schedule and soon decided that I wanted to pursue southern history as a career. That decision set the course for my graduate studies. I spent years immersing myself in the upper southeast—including seemingly endless hours immersing myself in the pertinent scholarly literature, as well as traveling to special collections and sitting in manuscript and microfilm rooms poring through primary sources. And I learned how to practice a discipline I really did not understand as an undergraduate. [Read more…] about Scholar’s Call: The Joy of Becoming a Generalist
teaching
The Missional Professor in Universities Outside North America
How can Christian academics carry out mission while working at universities outside their home countries?
From Dec 27 – Jan 1, volunteers with our network of early career Christian academics are liveblogging seminars at the Urbana conference, a mission-focused student gathering of 16,000 Christians from across North America and the world. This post was co-written by Rebecca Carlson and Vivian Chen.
Dr. Keith Campbell, today’s speaker, is vice president of Global Partnerships for Global Scholars and has spent four years teaching New Testament at Shanghai University in China. He’s also the author of Researching Abroad: Tips and Tools for the Trade. Dr. Liam Atchison, who helped answer questions from the audience, is vice president of US relations for Global Scholars. He has been a church-planting pastor, a university professor, and an academic dean at Western Seminary. [Read more…] about The Missional Professor in Universities Outside North America
Journalism Notes: Students go Gonzo for relativism
Nearly every semester I teach a basic news reporting class. For most of my students it’s their first taste of being put through their paces and cranking out stories on deadline.
They do one article a week – 350 words, at least one authoritative source, at least one additional source, a photo and a caption.
This keeps them hopping for about the first 11 weeks of the semester. So toward the end of the term, I like to shift gears a little bit and give them a book report. [Read more…] about Journalism Notes: Students go Gonzo for relativism
Journalism Notes: Spiritual Growth Through Reading and Writing News
One of the biggest challenges I face as a journalism professor is just getting students to read the news. Even those majoring in journalism often spend little time staying abreast of current events. [Read more…] about Journalism Notes: Spiritual Growth Through Reading and Writing News
Urbana Preview: Cross-Cultural Teaching—One Story and a Few Tips for North American Scholars
Brian Dennison spoke at Urbana on “The Vocation of Law in God’s Global Mission to Bring Justice and Wholeness.” You can find a summary of his talk here. To introduce you to Brian and “share the blessing,” Brian offers some tips from his own experience teaching cross-culturally. Part 1. Note: Have experience teaching cross-culturally and want to write about it? Whatever your culture of origin and wherever you taught cross-culturally, we’d love to hear. Email us here. [Read more…] about Urbana Preview: Cross-Cultural Teaching—One Story and a Few Tips for North American Scholars