Formally, the Cold War began in 1945 and ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In fact, its roots began long before 1945 and its effects still reverberate today. Newspaper headlines illustrate how the Cold War is becoming more overt as Russia threatens Ukraine and other neighboring countries, and China threatens Taiwan … Continue reading The Continuing Cold War
Michigan Business School Emeritus Professor George Siedel recently published a book you might want to read – Seven Essentials for Business Success: Lessons from Legendary Professors. Although it focuses on teaching in business schools, it provides insights relevant to pedagogy in higher education more generally. The book takes readers into the classrooms of award-winning professors … Continue reading George Siedel’s Book on Pedagogy
Peter Reilly’s call for updates on our scholarship prompted me to create the following lists of short articles and blog posts I wrote this year. You might want to read some or see if any would fit into your syllabi as required or recommended readings addressing your teaching goals. The following pieces focus directly on … Continue reading Short Pieces You Might Want to Read
To resolve a dispute, one or more people need to change their minds. Negotiation and mediation involve techniques to help people do just that. Obviously, this can be very difficult. People have reasons for their positions and they may not change them easily. This post focuses on two approaches for changing minds, which are highlighted … Continue reading What I’m Reading – Changing Minds
People in every demographic group and every part of the country became hooked on powerful drugs. Many lost their jobs, savings, homes, and families and they became ensnared in the criminal justice system. Hundreds of thousands died from drug overdoses. Communities were decimated. The drug pushers were protected by high-powered lawyers like Mary Jo White, … Continue reading What I’m Reading – High-Powered Lawyers Protecting a Ruthless Drug-Dealing Mob
It’s a damn miracle that people ever understand each other. A recent episode of the This American Life podcast provides ample illustration. Entitled, What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate, the podcast tells several, mostly discouraging, stories. (Click here for the source of this phrase.) One story describes special challenges due to the covid … Continue reading What I’m Reading – What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate
War is the worst method of dispute resolution. In war, combatants and civilians are killed and injured, physical and social infrastructure is destroyed, and individuals and societies are traumatized, resulting in harms that can continue long after wars are declared to be over. People often use the term “collateral damage” referring to death and injury … Continue reading What I’m Reading – Collateral Damage of War
Legal academics and practitioners are professional feedback givers and receivers. Of course, faculty constantly give feedback to students – and also to colleagues. Faculty are frequently evaluated for hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions as well as about their publications and presentations, funding requests, and lots of other things. Practitioners regularly provide clients with feedback, often … Continue reading What I’m Reading – Thanks for the Feedback
I learned a lot about William Randolph Hearst by watching the PBS American Experience documentary about him. He is best known as a purveyor of “yellow journalism,” promoter of the Spanish-American War, and the target of the Orson Welles film, Citizen Kane. The documentary shows that he has had a huge and continuing impact on … Continue reading What I’m Reading – PBS Documentary on William Randolph Hearst
“Facebook is like a pocketknife: You can use it to peel an apple or stab a janitor at school.” So said tech analyst (and talk-show host) Jimmy Kimmel. Noam Ebner (not a talk-show host) wrote, “Its positive characteristics and opportunities notwithstanding, the Internet has become something similar to a bad neighborhood after dark. … Even … Continue reading What I’m Reading – The Social Dilemma