Amelia F. Barnum
Amelia F. Barnum ’28, an Associate Editorial editor, is a Social Studies concentrator in Winthrop House.
Latest Articles
Let Students Skip Class
Yes, I’m arguing for a world in which students do not get explicitly penalized — or rewarded — for their attendance.
Infrastructure for the Neo-Luddite Age
If we make the effort to physically and socially separate from the deceptively persuasive idea that people urgently need to contact us at all times, we might find ourselves more deeply engaged with our friends and learning.
Dissent: Grade Inflation Won’t Fix Itself
Problems of collective action must be addressed collectively. That means that any solution to grade inflation on campus must be fundamentally centralized, coordinated, and sufficiently uniform in nature.
The Coddling of the Harvard Mind
More than anything, however, this episode is illustrative of a broader problem on campus: a culture that increasingly treats academic discomfort as injury and disagreement as hostility, making it difficult to have sober conversations about standards at all.
A Lesson in Teaching Feminism from MIT
When it comes to Women and Gender Studies, the University should take a lesson from MIT and regularly offer a survey of feminist theory.
History 10 and the Fear of Facts
Harvard’s History Department should make History 10 a modern world history survey course that includes map quizzes, sit-down exams, in-class essays, and (gasp) even some date memorization.
Why You Should Read Chris Rufo
Students need to practice reading ideas that they’ve been told are too Trump-adjacent, and therefore too offensive, to seriously consider.
Harvard Should Teach Speech
Harvard should require a public speaking course for undergraduates. By doing so, the College would help students develop the skills for effective oral communication and allow students to practice engaging with peers on controversial issues.
It’s Time To Ban Laptops at Harvard
Perhaps if students were actually forced to listen in class (or at least to not actively ignore), they’d end up taking more classes they find legitimately interesting, and embracing the sort of vulnerability that comes with making eye contact with a professor and with peers.
Latest Media
Harvard Proposes Cap on A’s, 13 Affiliates React
Last October, a now-infamous report sparked intense debate over Harvard’s grading system. A new faculty report proposing a cap on A grades has reignited that discussion. Are grades for mastery or distinction, and will the proposal restore rigor or damage pedagogy? 13 affiliates weigh in. — Heidi S. Enger ’27 and Zakiriya H. Gladney ’27, Editorial Chairs