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.

Moments of Classroom Grace

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

My friend and colleague, Lisa Rivero, posted on the topic of “Classroom Grace” last week over on her blog.  I’ve been thinking about her remarks ever since. Lisa was talking about those magical moments that happen in classrooms, especially in … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher education, Life, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

“He’s coming back” – Sherlock mini-episode appetizer

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

It’s been a long time since the last episode of BBC One’s Sherlock, but tomorrow night marks the return of our favorite sleuth to American television in “The Empty Hearse,” a clever nod to Conan Doyle’s “The Empty House,” the story … Continue reading →

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Countdown to Downton Abbey (1 day to go!) – The Rise and Fall of the English Country House

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

“History is bunk,” Henry Ford once said. What he meant was that most history, as written in textbooks and taught in schools, has little to do with life as lived by ordinary people.  War and politics are on the periphery … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Popular culture, Television, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Champagne and Christmas Tree Lights (Photo)

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Taken with my iTouch last night when I noticed how the lights of our tree sparkled through my midnight champagne.  Happy 2014!

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What it takes to keep your New Year’s resolutions

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Today’s Wall Street Journal has a really good article on what it takes to keep your New Year’s resolutions, “More Rational Resolutions,” by Angela Chen. My main takeaway was a technique called “pre-hindsight,” which is part of a three-day workshop hosted … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Countdown to Downton Abbey (7 days to go) — Cora’s fortune

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

I knew that it was common near the end of the 1800s for American heiresses to go hunting around Europe for impoverished noblemen.  It was the perfect win-win in some ways: an aristocratic pedigree for America’s nouveau riche and a … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Visits from Jack Frost

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

In my childhood home there was a window situated right at the turn in our staircase, only slightly higher than the steps themselves and just a short flight down from the second floor. Very dangerous spot for a window, if you ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Nature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Countdown to Downton Abbey (13 days to go) — The Dowager Countess’s “Mom” Jeans

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Or at least the equivalent thereof. Have you noticed that as other women’s hemlines rise and hairstyles modernize, Violet Crawley (played by Maggie Smith) remains somewhat stuck in a pre-WWI Edwardian time warp?  Her hats are a bit smaller and slightly … Continue reading →

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

He couldn’t keep a jailer: Why Nelson Mandela was a great leader

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Much has been said about Nelson Mandela over the past day.  But one thing I haven’t heard anyone speak of on the news channels—because, really, it’s pretty small potatoes when compared with this man’s towering greatness in so many areas—is … Continue reading →

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Is climate change cyclical?

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Although most media reports on climate change focus on looming disaster, I’ve read some interesting articles recently that look backward and provide some long-term perspective. Melting glaciers are revealing ancient human artifacts as they recede.  Beneath ice thousands of years … Continue reading →

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