Creating the critical connoisseur

All of us are critical connoisseurs. That is, we are relatively expert at something for which we can differentiate quality when we see/hear/touch/smell it. For some it’s music (the guitar aficionado who can instantly tell whether they are listening to Williams or Bream, Clapton or Blackmore) and for others it’s cheese (though I for one can’t tell the difference between camembert and brie). Continue reading

On the joy of teaching

Charles L. Brewer, Professor of Psychology in Furman University, is a celebrated teacher. So celebrated is he that the American Psychological Foundation offers the annual Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award. I found recent mention of him while browsing the blog of Ferdinand von Prondzynski. No, he’s not a Russian aristocrat (as far as I know), but is the newish Vice-Chancellor of Robert Gordon University, having spent a decade as President of Dublin City University. Continue reading