This short piece is adapted from a lecture I gave some years ago about the way disciplines, in particular film studies, develop into departments within universities.

Analysis of language both written and verbal, allows us to see into the motivations, expectations and often the assumptions of our readers and interlocutors.

Passion is an overused word these days, but its use reflects a cultural shift in the meaning of writing and learning in the context of work and everyday life.

Richard Florida has written an excellent piece in a recent issue of The Atlantic. It is entitled, “The Boom Towns and Ghost Towns of the New Economy.” (October 2013)