Ryan McCarl

Ryan McCarl is a writer and educator based in Carrboro, NC. He writes about education, politics, and international affairs, among other subjects, and he teaches history and geography at a charter high school.

Ryan is currently researching and writing education policy articles for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and writing a book about self-education. His blog, Wide Awake Minds, is "an eclectic resource for educators,
self-educators, polymaths, and all who love to teach, read, think, and learn."

Ryan's articles have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Crain's Chicago Business, the Michigan Education Report, Sojourners online, Antiwar.com, Sightings, the Muskegon Chronicle, and elsewhere.

Ryan has an M.A. in International Relations and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago, and he recently completed coursework for an M.A. in Education and secondary teaching certification at the University of Michigan.

The views expressed in Ryan's writings are his own at the time of writing and do not represent the views of any employer, organization, or affiliate. Publication in a particular periodical does not imply agreement with views expressed by other writers in that periodical.


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    EDUCATION AND STUDY ABROAD

  • M.A. (Education), University of Michigan, expected August 2010
  • M.A. (International Relations), University of Chicago, 2008
  • B.A. (Political Science), University of Chicago, 2008
  • University of Pisa (10-week intensive intermediate Italian program with homestay), Spring 2006
  • Japan-America Friendship Scholarship (6-week homestay in Urayasu, Japan), Summer 2003
    PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Voyager Academy High School, Durham, NC
    History Teacher (9th-grade World History, Honors World History, and AP Human Geography), 2010-present
  • Wayne Memorial High School, Wayne, MI
    Preservice Teacher (10th-grade World History and Geography), 2009-10
  • Assistant Track Coach, 2010
  • Center for Educational Outreach at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    Graduate Assistant, 2010
  • Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Chicago, IL
    Trade Book Manager, 2008-09
  • Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation, Muskegon, MI
    Japanese Interpreter (temporary assignment), August 2008
  • Chicago Maroon, Chicago, IL
    Editorial Board Member, Viewpoints Columnist, and Staff Writer, 2005-08
  • Lehman Brothers Asset Management, Chicago, IL
    Summer Analyst, Emerging Markets Debt, Summer 2007
  • Brunswick Bowling and Billiards Corporation
    Consumer Products Marketing Intern, Summer 2006
  • D'Angelo Law Library, Chicago, IL
    Technical Processing, Reference, and Circulation Assistant, 2004-08 (part-time)
    LANGUAGES

    Advanced

  • Japanese (4 years college equivalent, 8 wk. homestay in Japan, and self-study)
  • Italian (2 years college equivalent, 10 wk. homestay in Italy, and self-study)

  • High-intermediate

  • French (2 years college equivalent and self-study)
  • Spanish (2 years college equivalent and self-study)
  • Norwegian (1 year college equivalent and self-study)
    ATHLETIC LEADERSHIP

    Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field, The University of Chicago, 2004-2008.

  • Cross Country School Record Holder. 24:33 8k (4:56/mile for five miles).
  • Cross Country: NCAA DIII All-Region, UAA First-Team All-Conference (2007).
  • Track & Field: Team Captain (2008); UAA All-Conference (4:17 mile, 2005).
    ACADEMIC WRITING

  • "The Nuclear Peace and Its Consequences for China's Rise," M.A. Thesis, 2008. Advisor: John J. Mearsheimer, Ph.D. Preceptor: Nuno Monteiro, Ph.D.
  • "Japanese Security Policy and the Future of the East Asian Peace," presented at Denison University Undergraduate East Asian Studies Conference, 2006.
    OTHER PUBLICATIONS

    Education

  • "Breaking the certification monopoly" (working title), Michigan Education Report and Mackinac Center for Public Policy Blog, forthcoming.
  • "Teacher certification tests don't tell us enough about quality," Michigan Education Report and Mackinac Center for Public Policy Blog, 3/2/10.
  • "Belief isn't for the unimaginative; let kids see 'The Golden Compass'," Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/10/07.
  • "Popular coach, athletic director fighting illness," Muskegon Chronicle and Mlive.com, 4/11/09.
  • "Self-education: A manifesto," Parental Intelligence Newsletter, 9/09.

  • Politics and International Relations

  • "For us, Mr. Daley, driving to work is a necessity, not a vice," Crain's Chicago Business and Chicagobusiness.com, 6/15/09.
  • "Two cents on COIN," Antiwar.com, 11/7/09.
  • "Resist the urge to confront Kim Jong-Il," Antiwar.com, 7/1/09.
  • "War: The more we spend on it, the more we get," Antiwar.com, 6/15/09.
  • "Torture supporters' desire for distance is telling," Antiwar.com, 6/2/09
  • "Out of range," Antiwar.com, 5/15/09.
  • "The next forgotten war," Antiwar.com, Salt Spring News, and Fogged Clarity, 4/09 and 5/09.
  • "How to think about politics," Fogged Clarity, 8/09.

  • Ethics, Religion, Philosophy, and Culture

  • "A limited ecumenism," Sightings, 11/05/09.
  • "Is The Da Vinci Code dangerous?," Sojomail and Colorado Daily News, week of 5/21/06.
  • "Love thy neighbor: In the wake of an attack on the Men's Cross Country team, it's time to rethink University-community relations," Chicago Weekly, 10/28/09.

  • Fiction and Miscellaneous

  • "The Great Go: Four students share adventure of a lifetime," feature article and photography, Muskegon Chronicle, 8/25/05.
  • Edited English subtitles of a Chinese film, "The Inspector and the Prince," 9/08.
  • Short stories published in Fogged Clarity: "Back from Boston," 1/10; "The Day-Trader," 7/09; "Rays," 2/09; "Missing the Train," 2/09. "Missing the Train" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2009.

    CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED

  • Institute for Humane Studies Liberty in Education Seminar
  • , Chicago, IL, 7/10.
  • Advanced Placement Institute - AP Human Geography
  • , Greeley, CO, 6/10.
  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy School Choice Leadership Conference
  • , Midland, MI, 6/10.
  • 2010 MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) Conference, Grand Rapids, MI, 5/10.
  • Denison University Undergraduate East Asian Studies Conference,
  • Granville, OH, 3/06.