Online Education: UVA, Coursera, Everybody has an opinion

By Nathan Chang Everyone has an opinion about online education and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs, a term I grow weary of with each refresh of Google Reader). Naturally, some are good, some are bad, most are the same arguments recycled and tweaked. I have trudged through two weeks of…

“So, What Do You Work On?”: The Academic Elevator Pitch

“So, what do you work on?” “Tell me about your research.” “What do you study?” If you’re interested in the life of the mind, you’re going to hear these. A lot. It’s essential to make sure you have a quick answer, preferably one that invites your interlocutor to inquire further…

Summer Listening: Themes of Liberty In Sci-Fi Roundup

Over time our podcast series on Themes of Liberty in Sci-Fi has really grown, reflecting that of all the research academics have done on pop culture, that there is a heavy lean towards sci-fi. So for your summer listening enjoyment, we’ve put together a recap of all our podcasts on Liberty…

Forgotten Libertarians of American History with Steve Davies

Have you heard of Moorfield Storey, Edward Atkinson, or Simon Bolivar Buckner? If you haven’t, you’re not alone! Dr. Stephen Davies introduces the best kept secrets of the libertarian tradition. For those of you who were at yesterday’s Living Liberty online lecture, this is the full length audio recording of…

How to Deal With Grade Grubbers: An Instructional Essay

Almost every professor who has stood before a classroom has heard the standard lines before: “I worked really hard and put a lot of effort into this project,” or “I’m an A student who ALWAYS got straight A’s in high school,” or my personal favorite, “But I’m paying for this…

Weekly Top 5: The Future of Academia and Bottled Water

James R. Harrigan: Massachusetts, first cradle, then laboratory of democracy…one town bans the sale of bottled water, then another tries to ban swearing. The revolution is finally complete. Sarah Straw: More on the future of online higher education, from David Brooks Phil Magness: Sheldon Richman revisits Grover Cleveland’s December 1888…

How Libertarian are the Hunger Games?

Jeanne Hoffman talks with Professor Ilya Somin of George Mason Law School and Volokh Conspiracy about The Hunger Games, and the themes of liberty in this popular series of novels. Jeanne Hoffman:  Welcome to this Kosmos Online podcast. I’m Jeanne Hoffman. Today I’m talking about Hunger Games and Liberty with Ilya Somin, Associate Professor…

Podcast: Advice on Achieving Tenure from Dr. Mike Munger

In this KosmosOnline podcast, Jeanne Hoffman talks with Mike Munger about achieving tenure. Dr. Munger is a professor at Duke University in the political science and economics department and the school of public policy as well as a director of the joint UNC-Duke Philosophy, Politics and Economics program. Read “Scaling…

Did Tariffs Lead to the Civil War? Revisiting the Morrill Act 150 Years Later

Did protective tariffs play a role in causing the Civil War? This question, common among Civil War enthusiasts, touches on one of the most controversial and misunderstood debates about the causes of secession 150 years ago. The “tariff thesis” is often contentious because it can be seen as shifting focus…

Weekly Top 5: March 12

Bill Glod: Jessica Flanigan discusses feminism and libertarianism. James R. Harrigan: Even if his heart is in the right place (and I am by no means saying that it is), a candidate for the highest office in the land might want to think through the First Amendment implications of his…