Book Reviews

Review by Shane Kraeger of Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament: Colossians and Philemon. by Murray J. Harris. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010. xxxii + 272 pp., $24.99. Review by Joshua C. Stone of To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, 358pp.,$27.95. Review by R. Lee Webb of Interpreting the Psalms for Teaching and Preaching. Eds. Herbert W. Bateman IV and D. Brent Sandy. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2010, 292 pp., 34.99. Review by Roberto Rodriguez-Nunez of Augustine as Mentor: A Model for Preparing Spiritual Leaders by Edward L. Smither. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2009, 264 pp., 12.23

Academic freedom at Oxford: the responsibilities of being grown up

The short article discusses the state of academic freedom at Oxford and the impact of attempts to alter both the institutional system of governance and the university contract

Academic Risk and Intellectual Adventure: Evidence from U.S. Honors Students at the University of Oxford

Many study abroad programs promise students self-knowledge through adventure. Those that involve intense study seem at first sight not to offer adventure nor to entail risky dislocation nor to offer new insights into self. However, evidence from study abroad students at the University of Oxford reveals that they describe intellectual endeavor as adventure, finding that their academic experiences pose risks, demand courage, and are the means through which they and their new surroundings accommodate one another. Oxford faculty encourage academic risk-taking by posing hard intellectual challenges, helping students find their own voice rather than summarizing the views of others, and having a grading system that emboldens students and rewards those who learn through their mistakes. Oxford faculty encourage students to take risks in their writing and dare to apply to good graduate schools but help them to submit carefully prepared applications to avoid unnecessary hazards. Home campus advisers can help honors students by recognizing those for whom study is adventure and by encouraging them to risk a rigorous intellectual study abroad program

Editorial - Academic Practice - how is it changing?

This special issue grew out of a Government-funded initiative in the UK, the formation of a number of five-year Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. One of these, focused on Preparation for Academic Practice, is directed at better understanding and supporting the development of doctoral students and contract research staff for academic careers . This Centre, located at the University of Oxford, held its first conference in April 2007, and this special issue consists of papers contributed by conference participants

From medieval English to postcolonial studies

A brief account of the academic transition that I made beginning with my first academic post in Auckland, New Zealand where I was lecturer in Medieval English during the 1970s then moved to Oxford where I completed a D Phil in reformation sermons, then to the University of Otago in Dunedin -- New Zealand again -- where I began teaching New Zealand literature and Postcolonial theory and writing, to my present work in the UK at the University of Northampton, and talking of some of the writers I have met on the way

‘The remembrance whereof is pleasant’: A Note on Walter Pope’s Role in the Attempt to Abolish Academic Dress during the Commonwealth

In Hargreaves-Mawdsley’s history of academic dress, there is a short paragraph on the attempt to abolish academic dress at Oxford during the Commonwealth in Britain. Hargreaves-Mawdsley noted that John Evelyn saw academic dress still in use in Oxford in 1654 but also indicated that, by 1658, there was a serious attempt by the Puritan authorities in the University to abolish academic robes. Hargreaves-Mawdsley mentioned that it was the proctor, Walter Pope, who averted the abolition. However he fails to give the account which lies behind the failed attempt at abolition. The purpose of this brief article is to recount Walter Pope’s own colourful narrative of the resistance to the attempt to abolish academic dress at Oxford. [Excerpt]

The Development of the Academic Dress of the University of Oxford 1920–2012

One might expect that the well-trodden ground of Oxford academic dress would yield nothing new or surprising, but this is far from the truth. With an institution as old as Oxford, many onlookers assume that because they know Oxford’s traditions that they know Oxford’s rules and so do not need to consult statute. An excellent example is the number of undergraduates these days who profess that one may not wear the square cap until graduation, whereas the most cursory glance at University regulations would show their belief false. Also, I would argue that the academic dress of Oxford is of particular importance as its gowns and hoods are used as templates for many other universities in the United Kingdom and further afield. Thus an understanding of the nature and origin of the current state of academic dress is essential. [Excerpt]

‘Aboriginality and Educational Excellence’

From Broome to Oxford and back: A Blackfella Abroad. Sharon Davis, a Bardi Gija woman and mother of two from Broome recently graduated from the University of Oxford with a Master of Science. Sharon is currently the Western Australian State Coordinator of The Aspiration Initiative; an academic enrichment program designed to provide Indigenous students with unique and effective educational support. Sharon developed a passion for Aboriginal education while completing her Bachelor of Education at the University of Notre Dame in Broome. Coming to understand the significant role of Aboriginal English in literacy learning and identity development, Sharon decided to investigate this area further. As a result, Sharon became the first Aboriginal Australian from a remote Community to graduate from the University of Oxford. Share in Sharon’s journey that explores how Aboriginality was central to her academic achievements and Sharon’s push for other Aboriginal students to unlock their academic potential

Economists Online

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : Conference PresentationsDate: 2009-06-04 08:30 AM – 10:00 AMNEEO (Network of European Economists Online) is a 30 month EU-funded project. NEEO is the flagship project of the Nereus consortium which currently consists of twenty-three prestigious partners in the world of academic economics. These partners are based not only in Europe (Tilburg University, London School of Economics, Oxford University, Universite Toulouse 1 Sciences Sociales) but also include partners in Australia (Monash University) and the USA (Columbia University). NEEO aims to address the lack of integration of academic output amongst premier European economics institutions by increasing the accessibility and usability of quality content through an original, relevant and valued new service called Economists Online.European Commission; Nereus; NEE

Copyright Exceptions as Users’ Rights? An Empirical Critique

Dr. Emily Hudson, the Career Development Fellow in Intellectual Property Law at the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre at the University of Oxford, questions the prevailing legal and academic perceptions of the CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada (2004 SCC 13) judgment