Mad Men, AMC’s ’60s drama reeking of cigarette smoke and sexist one-liners, ran its season five premier Sunday night. Our own 20th century American history professor Alan Brinkley shared his reaction on Speakeasy, a Wall Street Journal A&E blog, considering Don “a kind of Gatsby.” Beware the spoilers. The new era doesn’t seem to have […]

Eric Foner’s “Civil War and Reconstruction” and Kenneth Jackson’s “History of the City of New York” are some of the most well-known classes at Columbia, and every year, it seems half of Columbia tries to register for them. But there may be a better way. While stumbling around Columbia’s web site, Bwog discovered a cache […]

It’s no fun to be stuck in a sweaty classroom while those of us who skip class the rest of the world frolics outside in the sunshine. Over the past week, Bwog has reached out across academic disciplines, to professors young and old, to assess their stances on teaching out of doors. While some highly respected […]

In case you missed the Saturday Times, or don’t read those ancient things your parents call “newspapers,” receiving an extensive profile was none other than the new director of Miller Theater, Melissa Smey.  Well, at least there’s an article partly about Ms. Smey, because much of the profile focuses on the legacy of the previous […]

In April, we reported that rumors both on campus and in print were suggesting that Professor Joseph Massad would soon be granted tenure. Now, everyone’s favorite tabloid/monitor-of-all-Columbia-controversies, the New York Post, reports (via HuffPo) that Massad has been granted tenure.  In an article neutrally-entitled “Columbia Tenures An Israel Basher,” columnist Jacob Gershman writes that Columbia […]

Alan Brinkley is busy these days: ending his term as provost, checking on the numbers of his many adoring Facebook groups, and being accosted by roving cable news reporters. But he’s also had time to check out YouTube, and he’s got some recommendations. Of course, being a famous name, Brinkley isn’t just going to put […]

Super hero/History prof/Provost Alan Brinkley was walking to work one chilly day, and noticed someone following him. Because he didn’t think to look for one of those little red “Lion’s Watching” Lions to protect him against evil spirits, the stalker eventually caught up to him and introduced himself – Griff Jenkins of Fox News. Jenkins […]

How do you put the biggest economic meltdown in eighty years into historical perspective? Bwog Money Madame Anna Kelner went to Havemeyer tonight to find out. Today’s economy is rapidly turning into the stuff of Shakespeare.  Headline after headline spells disaster, AIG is handing out multimillion-dollar bonuses, the federal government is bailing out household names […]

Members of the Columbia Community received an exciting email from the desk of your President, PrezBo, earlier this afternoon. The search has officially begun for a new Alan Brinkley, and Lee C. and the Selection Committee want to know who you think should be second in command. “We are seeking a candidate of academic stature, […]

Last night in 417 IAB, Professor Alan Brinkley, The New Yorker‘s Hendrik Hertzberg, and The Nation‘s Katha Pollitt came together to discuss the election. Bwog Daily Editor James Downie was there. If nothing else, last night’s panel discussion between Alan Brinkley, Hendrik Hertzberg, and Katha Pollitt proved that smiles are contagious. Brinkley (who served as […]

Bwog has noticed that over the next week or so there will be a smorgasbord of learning opportunities for those who are not going home to spend their magnificent four days of fall break.  Whether you are interested in theater, bioethics or academic freedom, there’s something going on that’s right up your alley. Human Genetic […]

Bwog correspondent Liz Naiden attended last night’s panel on the possibility of a “post-partisan world.” The truth comes out; Provost Alan Brinkley is so desperate to return to academic life that he has announced the �death of partisan politics,� in the middle of the great election cycle of 2008�or so we thought. Brinkley first published […]

You have probably seen an ad for Oliver Stone’s new biopic “W.” (starring Josh Brolin, on the right, as the sitting president) and have been unsure what to make of it. Will this be chock full of half-baked conspiracy theories? A depressing psychological portrait? Most of all, is it worth your hard-earned dollars (or download […]

In which Bwog tides you over until Monday’s QuickSpec by bringing you Columbia-related happenings from the real world.  Some connections to our lady Alma Mater are dubious and/or doubtful. Nudist/Columbia Grad Donates Playing Card Collection Dali expert and nude hiker Albert Field‘s collection of 6,536 decks of cards have been archived and restored in Columbia’s […]

Alan Brinkley, who has served as University Provost for the past five years, will be stepping down from the position at the end of this year.  The news was announced in an e-mail this evening to the Columbia University community. In the email, Brinkley writes that “I feel that it is now time for me […]