Author Archives: Katherine Wikoff

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About Katherine Wikoff

I am a college professor (PhD in English, concentration rhetoric) at Milwaukee School of Engineering, where I teach film and media studies, political science, digital society, digital storytelling, writing for digital media, and communication. While fragments of my teaching and scholarship interests may quite naturally meander over to my blog, this space is intended to function as a creative outlet, not as part of my professional practice. Opinions are my own, etc.

Urban river canyon, with cascades (😀)

Posted on February 24, 2024 by Katherine Wikoff

Not really, of course, but when I found this photo lurking in my camera roll (I snapped it one sunny afternoon last fall while taking the long way back to my office from the Science Building at MSOE in downtown … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Algorithms: Looking for love in all the wrong places?

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Katherine Wikoff

Really interesting, provocative article here from Time magazine by Apryl Williams, Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies at the University of Michigan, on how dating apps insert and perpetuate race- and appearance-based parameters into technology intended to help people … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital society, Life, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Everything “new” is old (again!😀)

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Katherine Wikoff

I suppose every generation believes it has discovered something new when actually that something has been around not just for a while but for a very long time. Like, sometimes centuries! Let me start off with a little Milwaukee hometown … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creativity, History, Life, Media studies, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Revisiting the Bill Moyers series of interviews with Joseph Campbell

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Katherine Wikoff

This is revisiting only in a general sense. During discussion in my political science class this morning, I had occasion to refer to Joseph Campbell. My students had not heard of him, so I gave some quick background, referring to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Creativity, History, Learning, Political Analysis, Popular culture, Teaching | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

How does AI square with religion?

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Katherine Wikoff

Because I teach political science courses, as well as a course titled “Digital Society,” I subscribe to an email newsletter from Project Liberty. Some info on that: Project Liberty is advancing the responsible development of the internet of tomorrow – … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital society, Political Analysis, Popular culture, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

A Fun “Weird Al” Tribute to eBay

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

Although this song appeared on “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 2003 album Poodle Hat, it was apparently not released as a single, nor was there ever an official music video made. “Weird Al” did perform this song at eBay Live! 2003, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Music, Popular culture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Authoritarianism and Engineering?

Posted on October 27, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

Well, I learned something new today while teaching my political science course. I was walking students through my recommended process for getting started doing research on political issues, and at this point we were comparing basic Google search results with … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Milwaukee, Political Analysis, Teaching, Technology | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

#WordlessWednesday – Intersection

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

A photo snapped from my car window on an overcast afternoon while stopped for a red light at the intersection of Hwy 100 and West Burleigh (pronounced “BURR-lye” for any non-Milwaukeeans out there) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Well, this post was … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A new book for my “To Read” list

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

I love maps. Always have. I would far rather study a map than rely on a GPS voice telling me to turn right in 1.4 miles. I took a year of geology in college and loved learning to read topographic … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Karma? (Or, what goes around comes around)

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

Remember Rueben Kincaid, the Partridge Family’s manager? A while ago I read David Cassidy’s memoir (C’mon, Get Happy) and discovered that Dave Madden, the comedian and comic actor who played Rueben, was a really sweet, generous person. Among his good … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment