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Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner (AMST 246)Professor Wai Chee Dimock begins her discussion of The Sound and the Fury by presenting Faulkner's main sources for the novel, including Act V, Scene 5 of Macbeth and theories of mental deficiency elaborated by John Locke and Henry Goddard. Her main focus is on the experimental subjectivity of the novel's first section which is narrated by Benjy Compson, a mentally retarded 33 year old who is compl...more
William Sahlman, professor at Harvard Business School, reflects on three things that helped John Osher, the developer of the low-cost spin toothbrush, succeed. Sahlman identifies three factors: 1) Reflecting on your experience to improve your understanding, 2) Looking at the situation differently to successfully innovate, and 3) Scanning your environment to find new opportunities.
One year after the start of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the editor of the American Economic Review: Macroeconomics claimed that "the state of macro [theory] is good". How could be be so deluded? Macroeconomics has been distorted by appalling scholarship and a misguided belief that macroeconomics and microeconomics should be consistent. The best critics of this, ironically, are given by the authors most responsi...more
Foundations of Modern Social Thought (SOCY 151)Adam Smith's ideas about self-interest should be understood as a precursor in some ways to John Stuart Mill's thinking on utilitarianism. Professor Szelenyi discusses, but does not resolve, the complexities of Adam Smith's moral and ethical positions staked out in The Theory of Moral Sentiments—including a focus on sympathy—and the most widespread economic interpretation of Smith and The ...more
John von Neumann developed Expected Utility theory to wean economists off indifference curve analysis and onto a numerical basis for utility. Instead, they combined indiffiference curves with absurd assumptions about individual behavior in asset markets and a confusion of risk with uncertainty to develop the Capital Assets Pricing Model.
John Kennedy said that there is risk and cost to a program of action, but it is far less than the long-range risks and costs that come from comfortable inaction, says Smith. Though it may seem scary to make changes and safe to do nothing, it is not true. A leader's job is to be passionate, figure out what needs to be done, and then be willing to take the necessary risks to make it happen, she notes.
William Sahlman, professor at Harvard Business School, talks about the four key elements of an entrepreneurial venture: 1) People, 2) Opportunity, 3) Context and 4) Deal. He illustrates with the example of John Osher who developed the spin toothbrush.
Featuring discussions of Puritan poetry; The Bay Psalm Book; English metaphysical poetry, including John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw; Samuel Johnson on Wit; intertextuality; paratext; Michael Wigglesworth; Anne Bradstreet; and Edward Taylor.
Environmental Politics and Law (EVST 255) The lecture begins a discussion of present and future energy demands and the ways in which we invest in different forms of energy by focusing on nuclear energy use globally. The risks associated with nuclear energy are described, including risk of human error leading to a mass evacuation event, and the challenges faced in finding an adequate nuclear waste storage facility for the United States....more
