V.V.V.V.V.
Houses Ov Mercury
Well yeah (I'm majoring in graphic design aka computer art), but I am taking foundations courses which require art not on the computer to be brought in and critiqued.
The School/Uni Thread
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Death Aflame
voice of dissent
- Feb 1, 2004
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I don't have any classes that are fully online either. WebCT/Blackboard is just a way of providing supplementary material beyond attending physical classes.
skeptik
Member
- Feb 7, 2003
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My frustration with my creative writing professor increases daily. Every class period while we're discussing and critiquing stories, he always attempts to guide the discussion along his own personal viewpoint, reflecting his ideal of what a work of fiction should be. He's very traditional in his outlook on the matter, always emphasizing the importance of staying within the confines of the "standards", not experimenting much, and whenever somebody attempts to experiment and it doesn't pan out well, he always suggests to turn it into something more traditional rather than try to help them out in doing what they actually wanted to do. For example, one student wrote a story about a teen girl who was always outcast because she was so different from everyone else, and in the end it turns out that she's an alien, and instead of helping her smooth out the rough edges of the story, he said something along the lines of "I would feel more compelled to give my full human sympathy to the character if the story was about a girl who was alienated, rather than an alien from outer space." This is the same guy who says that he can't appreciate Animal Farm because "it's not about humans." "Fiction is a human phenomenon" and all that crap. He can't get into any kind of science fiction or fantasy because "it breaks the verisimilitude."
Some of the crap he says just doesn't make sense as well. For example, another story a student wrote was about a guy who wakes up to realize that he was just in a car crash, and the story takes place in first person present with the character trying to recall what happened and attempting to get out of the vehicle. It's somewhat implied at the end that he might have died, but according to our brilliant professor, due to the fact that it's in first person present, he could not have possibly died, because "who else would have been able to chronologize the story?" Apparently a story has to be an actual, tangible document, even though by the very nature of a present tense narrative, it's physically impossible for that to be the case, but rather you're either THERE at the event while it's happening or you're actually inside the character's mind. It's not like there are not several classic works of literature in this format in which the narrator either dies or is implied to have died or that would have died before he would be able to write his story down. This actually sparked a fairly lively conversation and even got me to break my silence and speak up. Apparently I sounded pretty pissed off, which I was, because I've really been getting sick of his attempts to indoctrinate the class to think a certain way about what a story should be, and I felt compelled to speak up. One of the girls in this class is also in the class that I have after that, and she came up to me after that class and said she was really glad that I stood up to him and that a lot of people are getting tired of him.
[/end rant]
Some of the crap he says just doesn't make sense as well. For example, another story a student wrote was about a guy who wakes up to realize that he was just in a car crash, and the story takes place in first person present with the character trying to recall what happened and attempting to get out of the vehicle. It's somewhat implied at the end that he might have died, but according to our brilliant professor, due to the fact that it's in first person present, he could not have possibly died, because "who else would have been able to chronologize the story?" Apparently a story has to be an actual, tangible document, even though by the very nature of a present tense narrative, it's physically impossible for that to be the case, but rather you're either THERE at the event while it's happening or you're actually inside the character's mind. It's not like there are not several classic works of literature in this format in which the narrator either dies or is implied to have died or that would have died before he would be able to write his story down. This actually sparked a fairly lively conversation and even got me to break my silence and speak up. Apparently I sounded pretty pissed off, which I was, because I've really been getting sick of his attempts to indoctrinate the class to think a certain way about what a story should be, and I felt compelled to speak up. One of the girls in this class is also in the class that I have after that, and she came up to me after that class and said she was really glad that I stood up to him and that a lot of people are getting tired of him.
[/end rant]
zabu of nΩd
Free Insultation
- Feb 9, 2007
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Do you guys get to write teacher evaluations at the end of the semester? Sounds like he deserves some nice flaming condemnations in his.
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
The ones the University gives are worthless. If they have a Ph.D., it's likely they won't get fired (unless they're relatively new or teaching a class not in their speciality). the ones the professors give themselves are better because they actually read those.
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
Why in the fuck would a creative writing professor stifle creativity? I'm guessing that's not their speciality at all.
seedofvengeance
Boosh!
skeptik
Member
- Feb 7, 2003
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My philosophy teacher rules. Actually, all my philosophy teachers have been cool (well...very knowledgeable and helpful with regards to their subject matter, some of them were assholes). Rutgers has one of the best philosophy departments in the nation iirc. Peter Kivy especialy kicks ass, he's the only professor I've had that I've taken another class from on the sole basis that he was teaching it.
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
I've done that for a few professors. I really cherish professors that are good at what they do. It makes learning so much easier and much more fun
seedofvengeance
Boosh!
I like my PHIL teacher, and he is knowledgeable... but still... awkward when he talks about dropping acid in front of everyone.
luckily I haven't had any bad creative writing professors. My fiction professor is very much an old school Hemingway/Raymond Carver type of man...so I bring in my experimental sort of off kilter shit and he can appreciate it, but it's not his cup of tea
nonfiction is the tough one. especially if you lead a boring life like myself
nonfiction is the tough one. especially if you lead a boring life like myself
I'm totally fucking pissed right now.
Ucr is charging me for the deferred payment plan I set up so I could have the chance to get my loans just to attend school. $25 was the original charge, and I was still willing to pay that even after I canceled my submission/acceptance to the uni. But now they are charging me a late fee ($50) on top of some bullshit extras (another $20) and calling my school account "rogue/delinquent".
1. I canceled everything well before the whole "late fee" policy for student went into effect.
2. I don't even go to the school, why th shit should I have an account/
3. Who the fuck doesn't accept Visa? Seriously?
Of course I call and no one is in any department at all... fan-fucking-tastic.
I will pay the original agreed payment of $25 (just for them moving my paperwork into a 'charge later' file folder - takes all of about 30 seconds...), but I'm not paying all this fucking excess - no fucking way. Kiss my ass.
Ucr is charging me for the deferred payment plan I set up so I could have the chance to get my loans just to attend school. $25 was the original charge, and I was still willing to pay that even after I canceled my submission/acceptance to the uni. But now they are charging me a late fee ($50) on top of some bullshit extras (another $20) and calling my school account "rogue/delinquent".
1. I canceled everything well before the whole "late fee" policy for student went into effect.
2. I don't even go to the school, why th shit should I have an account/
3. Who the fuck doesn't accept Visa? Seriously?
Of course I call and no one is in any department at all... fan-fucking-tastic.
I will pay the original agreed payment of $25 (just for them moving my paperwork into a 'charge later' file folder - takes all of about 30 seconds...), but I'm not paying all this fucking excess - no fucking way. Kiss my ass.
King Richard
Hello there
I'll call on Monday; if they won't pick up on a sat, then they won't on a sun.
In other news, I was freaked out to notice the insane similarity in intro-age between two songs with a three year album difference: Agent Steel's Back to Reign and Holy Terror's Debt of Pain... quite a wtf instance.
In other news, I was freaked out to notice the insane similarity in intro-age between two songs with a three year album difference: Agent Steel's Back to Reign and Holy Terror's Debt of Pain... quite a wtf instance.
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
So, I've decided that I'm going to start graduate school next January to get an MBA. I haven't decided whether I want to do Finance or Marketing as a concentration (since I can't do Accounting). My plan is to take the GMAT in either July or August.
Zephyrus
Tyrants and Slaves
Good luck with that. I plan to go straight into grad school once I'm through the program here. Eventually I hope to get a Phd.
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