tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post6520126456047552897..comments2023-06-03T07:31:58.418-05:00Comments on The Critically Pissed: Are your first two years of college worthless?Critically Pissedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08616961824286610531noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-76190038792124775122011-01-27T13:33:19.291-06:002011-01-27T13:33:19.291-06:00Let me repeat one more time. The issue is writing ...Let me repeat one more time. The issue is writing more and reading more in class PERIOD regardless of the length of the papers. Do you get it now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-2602391986688695552011-01-22T07:46:18.897-06:002011-01-22T07:46:18.897-06:00I don't get your confusion 4:28. Having a cla...I don't get your confusion 4:28. Having a class with 15 pgs of writing that really makes me form an opinion on a matter and argue for it seems to be a lot better than 20 pgs of writing a narrative about my life. It's about content, not quantity. That is why statement is not silly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-38058938096474944352011-01-22T06:28:50.153-06:002011-01-22T06:28:50.153-06:00This is a silly statement!
"I think it's...This is a silly statement!<br /><br />"I think it's shallow to make the benchmarks of a good class 20 pgs of writing and/or 40 pgs of reading per week."<br /><br />So what would be your recommendation? No writing or reading at all! The study said that students in general are not being assigned enough writing and substantive reading, so regardless of the page lengths or books, more needs to be done. That is the point PERIOD.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-16914398084371238972011-01-22T06:24:54.238-06:002011-01-22T06:24:54.238-06:007:01, No, I would not have said that! So have you ...7:01, No, I would not have said that! So have you read Homer, or one of Shakespeare's plays, or the Divine Comedy? You should and then you will not be so quick to dismiss them as dead white guy lit, but I suspect you have not read dead minority writers either. <br /><br />So instead of criticizing expand your own reading list. I stand by my earlier post, reading Homer, Aristotle, Plato, Dante, Milton, and the barb, Shakespeare are essential to being considered an educated person, but you do not have to agree, and by all means, develop your own reading list. No one is stopping you! <br /><br />By the way, most of the great philosophers and scientists since Socrates are, to use your silly words, DEAD WHITE GUYS! But you do not have to read them and can establish your own reading list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-62783416186220664012011-01-21T21:01:29.379-06:002011-01-21T21:01:29.379-06:001:57 - I was responding to the remarks at the end ...1:57 - I was responding to the remarks at the end of the post. You may need to read those again.<br /><br />And life's not all about old dead white guy lit. The world's changing and so should our reading lists. But you will just say that if you went on, you would have said something like that. I'm just saying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-79320916511179052252011-01-21T15:57:14.211-06:002011-01-21T15:57:14.211-06:0012:42 - read it again. All they are saying is that...12:42 - read it again. All they are saying is that the classes in general are not demanding, no writing and substantive reading. Most students, even very good students at all colleges and universities, have not read many of the classic books in the western canon. In Ancient Greece you were not considered civilized unless you had read Homer! How in the fuck does any student graduate without at least reading ONE of Shakespeare's plays, or Dante's Divine Comedy? I could go on and on but you get the point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-86896311083900310582011-01-21T14:42:34.223-06:002011-01-21T14:42:34.223-06:00I think it's shallow to make the benchmarks of...I think it's shallow to make the benchmarks of a good class 20 pgs of writing and/or 40 pgs of reading per week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-23491598424694131692011-01-21T14:31:53.122-06:002011-01-21T14:31:53.122-06:00Well Anon 3:56, I agree that people all walk diffe...Well Anon 3:56, I agree that people all walk different paths, and it seems to be more important to just "do your own thing" and not worry so much about what everyone else is doing. However, is that really the best way of looking at it? Perhaps there is a chance that the student who slacks off a bunch due to an acquired drinking/partying habit is still really a genius, but that proves nothing. I think it's important that the people who just do their "own thing" recognize that what they're doing regardless may be contributing to or affecting other people's "own thing". See what I'm saying?? While it's true that everyone needs to find their True individual path in life, those who have not discovered their True path are taking the paths of others, who may or may not have found it for themselves. In other words, many of us are just sheep following the herd of other sheep, caught in a cycle of being around other people who don't know what they're doing either. Those who have opted not to follow the herd, need to stand up and be an influence to those who are still part of the herd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-4703410422655913062011-01-21T09:33:18.524-06:002011-01-21T09:33:18.524-06:00I know. What do we do? I can be more serious mys...I know. What do we do? I can be more serious myself but I already take my stuff seriously enough. What's up with faculty? Not all my professors are blowing off their teaching. Some put quite a bit of care into their work. But some. eh. So what do we do? I just don't get why some of the professors here don't care. Or maybe I should say I don't get why some professors here are only doing a half-assed teaching job. A previous comment makes it seem that it isn't the publishing requirement. So what is it? Do we smell?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-80230829037430311902011-01-21T05:56:21.075-06:002011-01-21T05:56:21.075-06:00Just focus on yourself! Find a mentor and hang out...Just focus on yourself! Find a mentor and hang out with people moving in the same direction. Later for all of the rest of the mess. People walk different paths in life. The student who parties all the time may turn out to be the next Richard Feynman, who had a notorious reputation, or Einstein who cut most of his math classes. Just do your own thing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-9073482405158099062011-01-20T22:34:20.086-06:002011-01-20T22:34:20.086-06:00I just don't get it... aren't professors p...I just don't get it... aren't professors passionate about what they teach? Aren't they excited to get students excited about what gets them excited? Did they used to be, and now it has just died off because too many restrictions have been placed on what they can teach, their field of study isn't popular among students, their office is too crummy, or they thought they'd be making big bucks and they're not? What is it??!?!?!?! If I loved history so much that I wanted to teach history, and I went through all the schooling I needed to be a college professor, I'd like to believe I'd be passionate and HAPPY to help and motivate students to learn about history! <br />I've noticed however, seeing the way some professors work their classes, that some seem to care more about what their students look like on paper than the actual student or they seem more focused on themselves and how much work they have to do for themselves that they forget about the work they are doing for the students. I had one professor who was so busy all the time she really seemed to get annoyed any time I stepped foot in her office, she made me so uncomfortable I was actually intimidated and afraid to take more of her time by asking questions, so I ended up not going to her office ever again. And I wasn't the only student who felt that way. (Not to mention this professor also made dozens of unfulfilled promises throughout the semester, due to other priorities). <br />My point is that some professors may not be totally focused on what's important when it comes to teaching and connecting with students. <br />And one last point - I don't know about other colleges, but this one in particular I've noticed a lot of people don't take too seriously... particularly the business/communication majors, whose goal after college is simply to "get a job". In addition, a lot of college students think they're still in high school, and still have the mentality that school isn't "cool", and there's nothing to be excited about. What's up with that? Some people I think just aren't made for school, because they'll never lose that mentality. Unfortunately, college is just "the way" everyone seems to think they should go if they want a job that pays above 20 or 30k. Or maybe since this is such a party school, it's hard for students think about schoolwork when it's basically a custom here to party and go to the bars 4 nights a week. I mean, let's face it, a lot of students in UWW like to drink, party, socialize, slack off, and be "cool", living the college life, more than they like to attend and engage in class. Not to mention so many students go to college and do whatever it is they can that will be easy, get them out quickly, and get them a job. There's not much more thought that goes into it than that. Hear that? sounds like "baa-aa-aa".<br />::sigh::<br />So what do we do?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-8031669416566991922011-01-20T12:43:35.865-06:002011-01-20T12:43:35.865-06:00I teach in the College of Letters & Sciences. ...I teach in the College of Letters & Sciences. The general minimum research requirement is to publish two peer-reviewed articles. And by "peer-reviewed," that means that it has to be accepted at least by an editor (you don't even have to have two or more referees). Of course, having more than two would put one beyond question, but one must have two published articles. Oh, I forgot to tell you what time span one must publish those two articles. SIX years! I'm not stuttering. I'm not smoking anything. Six years. And for those slow on the uptake, that means that one has to publish one article every three years, in almost any journal (except for vanity journals)!!<br /><br />So, my god, using the "publish or perish" mantra just won't cut it. It is such an easy requirement that it should never be used to justify why one neglects to make his or her teaching the best that it can be. That mantra would be more appropriate to say at a place like UW-Madison. But at UW-Whitewater, we faculty have the luxury to excel at our teaching.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this still means that we need an explanation for this new study that came out.Xaviernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832236349540926420.post-41911442354751339332011-01-20T11:02:04.205-06:002011-01-20T11:02:04.205-06:00This is nothing new! College has always been about...This is nothing new! College has always been about jobs jobs jobs. This is the reason the majority of students are majoring in business. Faculty members at all levels from the very select colleges to the wannabee colleges must do research, however, weak to survive and keep their jobs. No one get tenured for being a great teacher period. Its called publish or perish, not teach or perish. So asking faculty members to focus more on teaching given the current reward system is like saying good morning in a cemetery and expecting a response. You want faculty members to spend more time on teaching, then change the system and scale back on using so many part timers. Until then, publish or perish!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com