Statement of Purpose

This blog generally does not deal too much with the meta issues of blogging itself. After all I am not a philosopher. Instead I have a degree in history and work in a political science department. Nonetheless, I have given some thought as to the purpose of this blog recently.

First, it is a public journal of sorts. That is it records some of the events of my life including my teaching and research. In the past when I have tried to keep a written journal that was not public I always quit after a couple of months. This blog is almost five years old. Being public it also provides information to my family and friends. For a long time I think my parents were my only readers. I think I may have one or two more regular readers now.

Second, it is a place that allows me to develop short written pieces on topics that interest me. Thus it serves to further distill and condense my thoughts on various subjects. The ability to provide brief summaries is one of the skills I try to impart to my students as well.

Finally, it provides a place for me to post important documents such as syllabi, article abstracts and research proposals. Viewers can get a general idea of the type of professional teaching and publishing I have done by reading through the archives of this blog. I do not have another web site.