ethical & moral questions
Collective Action
Speech for CND Diversification event. Understanding power, individual choices and collective action. Also: capitalism and fox poo.
Our Growing Movement
Speech for the Radical Independence Conference 2014.
Unsustainable system
Do academics have a moral obligation to freeze their pay? A letter published in the Times Higher Education Supplement.
Research Ethics
Ethics paperwork protects the rights of research participants… But is there more to ethics than paperwork? Column on the Education page of the Scotsman.
The Politics of Hope and Fear
Hillary Clinton threatens to tear America apart — will Barack Obama’s vision be strong enough to sustain us through the long struggle ahead?
An Unlikely Gunman
Sociologists are supposed to help understand troubling social phenomena like murder — not become murderers themselves. Column on the Education page of the Scotsman.
New Year
The start of my second year brings me out of silence, and into questions about what kind of academic I want to be. Column on the Education page of the Scotsman.
Venture-Capitalism and Higher Education
In many sectors, we invest in the areas that promise the greatest short-term rewards. Is this an appropriate model for educational funding? Column on the Education page of the Scotsman.
Anorexia in Academia
In the high-pressure environment of universities, some students develop eating disorders to gain a sense of control. Column on the Education page of the Scotsman.
Indentured Servitude: The Real Tragedy of Student Debt
My personal experience with student debt, and the wider politics it reveals. Published in WireTap Magazine, and on AlterNet.
Good Questions
Public services and the public good.
Tuition Fees Create a Debtor’s Prison
The reality of student debt in America, its effects on wider society, and hard questions for Scotland. Published in the Scotsman.
Portrait of a Civilized Country
On what Scots take for granted.
Greetings from the Twilight Zone
Letter to my peace movement friends in Italy at the supposed finish of “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
Smashing Ignorance [rant]
Response to a disturbing e-mail, challenging common misconceptions about immigrants, American culture, and politics.