Love that cartoon Ian. And on typos, I think my phone ‘corrected’ black student to back student in my previous post! Now there’s another thread - on embarrassing predictive text messages sent in error to colleagues or students.

One more joke from me:

Linguistic pedant goes into the local butchers and asks for some sausage meat. The butcher replies with: Sorry mate, I ain’t got no sausage meat. The pedant replies with: Thank you, could you wrap it for me?

Best

John

John Lea

This growing collection should perhaps lead to a gold in the Timely Educational Fun awards (TEF), and displace the present set of less amusing paperwork?

(And Jenny, don’t apologise when there aren’t any typos - it just makes me re-read it twice carefully. Or indeed, talk to your phone if it has Siri, voicos are often much more fun than typos). Thanks for starting this all off).

Sent from my mobile 

Prof Phil Race

On 23 Nov 2017, at 16:37, Jenny Louise Lawrence <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Comedy gold! X 

Sent from my iPhone, please excuse typos. 

On 23 Nov 2017, at 4:09 pm, HEALEY, Mick (Prof) <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

A variant on one of John’s stories told by Rob Cuthbert:

 

Lady in a balloon lost her bearings

 

Please could you tell me where I am?

 

You are in a red balloon 50ft above the earth.

You must be a HoD

 

How did you know?

 

Well you didn’t know where you were and you made it my problem that you were in the situation in the first place.

 

You must be a quality assurance officer in a university

 

How did you know?

 

Well you gave me completely accurate but useless information.

 

Keep them coming.  It’s not even a Friday.

 

Best

 

Mick

 

From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lea, John ([log in to unmask])
Sent: 23 November 2017 14:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Academic Jokes for Development Event

 

Yep, with you Phil. On a train to Hull, so reflecting on some of the ones I’ve used in the past. Never written these down before. Hope this spurs a few others. Forgive the social science/humanities bias.

 

What do you get if you combine a sociologist with a member of the mafia? A.. An offer you can’t understand.

 

A burglar takes a sociology degree while in prison. When he comes out he still nicks things but now he knows why.

 

Two behaviourists greet each other on campus. One says to the other: you look well; how do I look?

 

How many post structuralists does it take to change a lightbulb? A. Banana..

 

How many environmentalists does it take to change a lightbulb? A. None. What’s wrong with living in the dark.

 

Why do Anarchists and Marxists only drink herbal tea? Because all proper-tea is theft.

 

A balloonist is floating above the garden of a logical positivist. Hey, he shouts down, do you know where I am. Yes, comes the reply, you are in a basket approximately 20 feet above my head.

 

A back student meets a posh white student crossing Harvard yard on the first day of the semester:

 

Black student: Hey, can you tell me where the library’s at?

 

White student: I think you’ll find round here that we don’t finish our sentences with a preposition.

 

Black student: Okay, thanks. Can you tell me where the library’s at, a..hole.

 

Best

 

John

 

John Lea

 

Sent from my iPhone

On 23 Nov 2017, at 14:02, Phil Race <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I love the idea of a collection of appropriate educational gags. Online is fine, but perhaps a little pocket book would be really handy? Could a tiny SEDA publication result? I absolutely agree that a bit of fun enlivens many a session (or lecture even). In my sessions I tend to summon up silly slides when some relief is needed - visual stuff - but I think 'telling a gag' is a much better idea.

Phil

__________________________________

Professor Phil Race

BSc PhD PGCE FCIPD PFHEA NTF

 

follow@RacePhil

Website: http://phil-race.co.uk/

___________________________________

 

On 23 November 2017 at 13:47, Ellen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Great suggestion, Celia!

 

On 23 November 2017 at 13:40, Celia Popovic <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

.. and Jen if you would like to write up this idea for the Educational Developers’  cookbook I’m sure others would appreciate it.

http://teachingcommons.yorku..ca/educational-developers-cookbook/

 

Celia

 

From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lee G Fallin
Sent: Thursday, November 23, 2017 8:30 AM

To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Academic Jokes for Development Event

 

Just to add a few more Twitter suggestions to follow on from Emma’s suggestion:

 

@GameofAcademics

@HigherEdUnDead

@AcademicPain

@YourPaperSucks

@LegoAcademics

@AcademiaObscura

@lolmythesis

@AcademicsSay

@DrunkGrad

@GradSchool_Life

@Grad_SchoolProb

@TheLitCritGuy

 

I’ve added these to a list: https://twitter.com/LeeFallin/lists/amusing-academic

 

You’ll notice some of them are ‘themed’ in their humour, but there is a range of stuff across them.

 

Best wishes,

Lee

 

 

<image001.jpg>

Lee Fallin | Library Skills Adviser | Skills Team Brynmor Jones Library University of Hull Hull, HU6 7RX, UK [log in to unmask]| 01482 466306 | www.hull.ac.uk/skills <image001.png>  @HullUni_Library     <image002.png>  /HullUniLibrary    <image003.png>  hulluni_library

 

 

From: Alison..James [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 23 November 2017 12:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Academic Jokes for Development Event

 

Love the question and this suggestion – have just looked him up on twitter and he is indeed very funny. Look for the visual ‘the way abstracts should be’…ah, if only I didn’t have papers to read by 2pm…

 

Alison

 

From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Emma Coonan (LIB - Staff)
Sent: 23 November 2017 12:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Academic Jokes for Development Event

 

AcademiaObscura on Twitter is probably the world’s greatest source of (intelligent) academic jokes, not to mention snide footnotes and entertaining abstracts. Your participants might even be prompted to fresh discussion/comparison of academic practice : )

 

He has a book out, but would probably be happy for you to reproduce some of the Twitter stuff with attribution.

 

Emma.

Dr. Emma Coonan, FHEA
Academic Librarian (Information and Digital Literacies)
Library, University of East Anglia
Norwich Research Park
Norwich NR4 7TJ

Working days: Wednesday-Friday

“Teaching is not to be regarded as a static accomplishment like riding a bicycle or keeping a ledger; it is, like all arts of high ambition, a strategy in the face of an impossible task.” (Lawrence Stenhouse)

 

From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jenny Louise Lawrence
Sent: Thursday, November 23, 2017 12:29 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Academic Jokes for Development Event

 

Dear esteemed colleagues, 

 

Here's a fun request for the end of the week.

 

I’m looking for academic jokes to use in a development activity. Anyone want to share any friendly ‘how many sociologists does it take to change a lightbulb’ type gags?

 

The activity is a mid-session exercise. Delegates will pick a card. The card will present the opportunity to a. discuss an aspect of the subject we are covering we are or b. tell a gag. 

 

My aim is to bring some energy into the room, delegates will have been in meetings all day. I have been assured the team will be responsive to some fun.

 

Jen

 

Jenny Lawrence 
B.A.Hons, M.Ed Teaching and Learning in HE, Pg. RMC, Ph.D, AFSEDA, Principal Fellow HEA

Independent Academic Development Consultant, Researcher and Coach

SEDA papers committee
HEA Associate

Recent Work

 

Lawrence, Jenny (2017) The underlying tensions inherent to aligning teaching excellence with learner-educator interpersonal relations. Educational Developments 18.3

Lawrence, Jenny (2017) Educator well being and the scholarship of teaching and learning: a virtuous intersection for the learning community. Educational Development 18.3

Lawrence, Jenny (2017) Enthusiasm and Authenticity. Blog Post June 2017, Enthusiastic HE, http://enthusiastic-he.co.uk

Lawrence, Jenny (2017) The question of research ethics in college based HE. Thinking about the Scholarship Project. London: Association of Colleges. 

Lindley, Caitlyn and Lawrence, Jenny (2017) Raising aspirations through Scholarship, Engagement and Employability activity: The student perspective. The Scholarship Project Case Studies. London: Association of Colleges. 

Garner, Rob and Lawrence, Jenny (2017) Inspiring Innovation through connection and community. Thinking about the Scholarship Project. London: Association of Colleges.

‘...teaching, learning and studying are serious acts, but also ones that generate happiness’ 
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Heart.

 

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