Joanna Kenty - Humanist

Pericles as Founding Father: Democracy from Athens to America

I was invited to write a series of essays for Project Pericles, a national network for civic education at liberal arts colleges, in honor of their 25th anniversary on the theme of Pericles and lessons for democracy today. My initial answer: it's really complicated! We’re surrounded these

Lights projected on a dark concrete wall show red, green, and yellow wall painting and a black and white diamond pattern on the floor, with architectural designs on the far wall

Uses and Abuses of History Education

History education can establish a shared narrative, a common ground that supports dialogue, deliberation for the common good, pluralism, and the dynamics of a healthy democracy.

A carved stone sarcophagus in high relief showing a bearded man and woman crying in front of a trophy, next to a chaotic tangle of soldiers and horses in battle

Teaching about history: not just names, dates, or "one f-ing thing after another"*

When or if we do teach history, we'll be doing a lot more good if we're giving students opportunities to practice historical thinking, to develop historical literacy.

Bernie Sanders, left, reads the oath of office to be repeated by Zohran Mamdani, right, who is holding his right hand up and his left on two Qurans held by his wife Rama Duwaji

From frigid individualism to warm collectivism: the rhetoric of Zohran Mamdani's inaugural speech

It was indeed a frigid New Year's Day when Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City – there were plenty of spectators, and they looked really cold, but that didn't stop them from cheering. The theme of Mamdani's remarks

a closeup of a painting depicting a group of senators in white togas attacking caesar in a red toga with daggers on a marble mosaic floor

Why we should all be teaching Cicero's "Pro Marcello"

In a state of uncertainty, there are difficult ethical decisions to be made. Cicero did not take the most ethically rigorous stance, but I think that makes him more interesting to think with, especially now.

Reviving academic integrity: Part II - What even is cheating, and why shouldn't we do it?

In Part I of this post, which began as a review of the new book The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI, I summarized some strategies for designing away the conditions that lead some students to cheat. Just as drivers might bend the rules of

Reviving academic integrity: Part I - Dishonesty as a Design Challenge

When I first saw the announcement that Tricia Bertram Gallant and David A Rettinger were putting out a new book called The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI, I immediately thought about reviewing it here. Based on the title alone, it addresses one of the

a woman sitting and taking notes across from a man sitting and talking

Going old school with oral exams

Oral exams have been proposed as a solution to AI-assisted plagiarism. Adding that interpersonal dimension of oral communication can result in more durable learning and a greater feeling of satisfaction, a perception of meaningful growth. That means that we as educators might enjoy them more too.

three women sitting at a table smiling and talking

Chasing the Dream of a Good Discussion

Discussion is an opportunity for students to practice communicating with each other and weighing judgments or proposed actions together, as they must if they are going to be citizens of a democracy. So discussion might be the single most important skill a student can learn in college.

a kid lying on the ground with a book over their face

The hermeneutics of #BookTok; or, Getting students to read more

Reading is hard. It requires greater focus and concentration and attention than looking at photos or memes. The dopamine hits that bombard TikTok users are hard to come by in books. What does BookTok have to teach us about motivating students to read?

cover of Carter G. Woodson's "The Miseducation of the Negro," showing a Black woman with a shackle around her head

Fugitive Pedagogy

There's something to be said for being the kind of educator that authoritarians want to ban, if you can afford the risk.

Education and democracy

Aristotle described a broad education as one of the distinguishing characteristics of a free person but also of a free and independent mind, hence “liberal" education. Citizens in a democracy need education to free their mind.