Kubernesis

Dear students, hello!

Great to hear from some of you already. Thanks for your interest in my course.

Yes, my classes will be exclusively online and asynchronous this semester. So, you don’t have to check in at any specific time or physical location. Just keep up with my posts and the assigned readings, wherever you are, and at whatever hour of the day or night best suits you.

This setup is hardly ideal – as is the case with so many things these days. I chose to adopt this remote and asynchronous modality for a number of reasons; among them: I don’t want our classroom to become a vector for the virus, I don’t want to throw students into a panic should the U have to shut down again (as has already been the case at other universities); in Spring 2020 I had students who suddenly needed to fly home to the other side of the planet. I believe it would put overseas students at a distinct disadvantage to expect that they show up bright-eyed and ready to rumble at 3 or 4AM, when local students would (ideally) have had a full night’s sleep.

Let me assure you, I’ve been using the internet as an integral component of my teaching since 2003 – long before Canvas, the pandemic, and Zoom. I will sorely miss meeting everyone in person. But my years of experience with online teaching suggest to me that we can still establish genuinely instructive, fun, and enduring relationships via this format. It just depends on students’ general level of curiosity and willingness to engage. You can help me and your peers in that regard, and doing so will only raise your grade. If nothing else, we will learn this semester how the internet, before it became grossly degraded, was originally intended to be used.

I’m glad to have you aboard and look forward to getting to know you better. Good luck and best wishes to you as we leap into this brave new school year!

Brian K.

p.s. If you’re seeing this, you’ve probably already found the syllabus, and perhaps read it. If not, please do so. And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at this early date.