As far as I can tell, about three weeks before exams, most Oxford students cease to be human beings. No, really: having an exam within the next month is a universally accepted excuse for abandoning all commitments and getting out of anything, ranging from rowing practice to doing the dishes. Somehow, though, I seem to… Continue reading So, this is learning
There are times when Oxford and Princeton seem eerily similar.* Case in point: the Oxford bubble. As I am prone to do, I occasionally gripe to anyone within earshot about the apathy and inactivity of the student body here. The other day, when I was whinging to my housemate, she sighed and said “Oh, I… Continue reading Oxford, at the margins
This weekend, I took (and – knock on wood – probably passed) my first two proper exams as an Oxford student. Oxford exams are more than just tests, though; they’re an experience – and to be prepared, you definitely have to do more than just study. First up, there’s the attire. At some point, Cambridge… Continue reading Invigilate THIS!
Bused down to London yesterday to view “The Boat Race,” the hundred-and-eighty-something year old rowing race between Oxford and Cambridge. It’s quite a big deal (and not just for wanna-be, neophyte rowers like myself) – the Oxford boat had several Olympians and two guys who claim to have invented facebook, and it seemed like half… Continue reading How the other half lives
Since it’s April Fools Day, I thought I would share this (very real) humo(u)rous / completely awful interchange I had with my adviser the other day. (By way of introduction, I should note that my adviser is a somewhat portly, jovial British economist in his mid-60s.) Me: I’m having a lot of anxiety about my… Continue reading Profound Thoughts on Thesis Writing
The following is a brief excursus on the social science disciplines which should be of interest to absolutely no one. It should not be confused with the similarly titled article by Emily Sands ’09, who is brilliant. I’ve already many times registered my frustration with much of the criticism of development coming from the academy. … Continue reading Sexy-Nomics
Not to be overdramatic, but To be completely overdramatic, I have a truly overwhelming amount of reading to do. Now, as an undergraduate, the phrase “I have so much reading” was bandied around quite a bit. Being a student at Oxford, though, gives me new perspective on what “so much reading” means. Take heed, ye… Continue reading Pavlov’s Graduate Students
Make no mistake. We do not study development at Oxford in order to help people. The job of development studies scholars is to attack and dismantle the well-intentioned ideas of others who (naively) actually think they can help people. This week, in my history and politics course, we discussed Mahmood Mamdami’s Saviours and Survivors, which… Continue reading In Defense of Clowning (as a development strategy, that is)
In general, I try to make sure that most of the posts I write for my blog have at least least some “value-added” behind them. That is, if I’m not reporting on things I’ve done in my life, I at least try to provide my own original spin on things happening elsewhere. Tonight, though, I’m… Continue reading PIRATES; or, irrational enthusiasm about ongoing tragedy in Somalia
Graduate students are all really smart. Everything graduate students write is of publishable quality. Graduate students don’t bathe frequently, but only because they are busy writing brilliant dissertations. Graduate students can read volumes in a day and quickly grasp complicated theories. When they speak in class, what they say is profound. Graduate students don’t have… Continue reading Grad Student
Alex V. Barnard - Sociology 