There is an old saying that goes “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  This ancient proverb is more than an overused quote; it is a model of life that should be applied to education.

Symbolically, the fish is knowledge and the man is the student. Here the man wants to eat, and this should be the first notion to consider: students want to learn. Like the hungry man, students are hungry for knowledge. People need knowledge to survive and without it they will starve. However, like personal taste, not everyone likes fish. Knowledge should be taught to the people who want it and should not be forced into the minds of people who have other interests.

One example of this is seen in Richard Feynman’s book “Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman.” In this book, Feynman describes a time when he is invited to give a lecture to a small physics club. Upon hearing that this famous Nobel Prize winner was coming however, the school mandated that every student attend the lecture. Feynman expressed how this was the wrong approach. Students should have choices in what they learn and should not be motivated by anything other than their own interest.

An ideal school is able to provide for everyone’s interest. Motivation makes students want more and this is what can make school fun and learning efficient. Though it is impossible to provide everything a student wants to learn, it is important to give them choices. One change to the current CUNY system for example might be to eliminate GERs. Perhaps instead of insisting for students to learn from a wide variety of fields, it should be enforced that students take a minimum number of credits per semester. In this way, students are able to take what they want without restrictions.

Returning back to the proverb, the second notion to consider is that schools should teach students how to learn. Like the proverb, feeding knowledge to students will only bring them so far and so it is essential that student’s learn how to find information on their own. Such a class however should be taught with the student’s focus in mind. For example if a class were to teach students how to research, then the students should be applying research techniques to what they have interest in.

Perhaps it is too idealistic to have school depend on student motivation alone. Not everyone knows what they like as they grow up and often students don’t know what they will like if they have not tried it. Perhaps a class dedicated to this type of student would also be useful. This class would introduce students to a wide variety of topics and would be optional for those who have found their field of interest.

Considering that school should be centered on student motivation, a typical curriculum should not have a limit or requirement for graduation. Students in an ideal college should first be introduced to Everything 101, a class designed to engage students on the fascinating topics that are of interest. This class should be offered every semester and students should be allowed to retake it if they are unable to find something that interests them. Another class that should be offered is Research 101. This class would be designed to help students find information on what they like. Techniques on searching the web and using other resources should be taught in this class.  The other classes in a student’s career should be optional. If the student feels adequately prepared to contribute to society, then he or she can graduate.  Of course, if he or she cannot contribute, then they are free to come back and continue learning.

School works best for those who have a goal in mind. If a student is forced to learn, it wastes an institution’s resources that can be better used on students who want it.

This topic is a very hard one to think about.  I am so used to being at school all these years, and so used to the way colleges are set up, I never really second guessed it much.  It is hard to think about it differently.  Honestly, for all the general education requirements and pluralism and diversity requirements I have taken, I have not really been FORCED to take a class.  The core requirements have been very kind to me.  Four years seems like a good time to get a degree, and two semesters a year works out very nicely.

Upon first reading this, I thought to myself  “Crap… I would not change anything”.  This was bad, what could I possibly write about?

Then I thought, we could change a few things.  I got one idea, so I started a list hoping that it would be longer than two changes long.  Lets see how it works!

1) How to be an Adult

This is the new class required for every single student who wants to graduate.  While college teaches students and prepares them for their area of study and for their job, often students graduate with no knowledge of some very real situations.  I imagine it would be taught as a seminar type class, meeting once a week for approximately two hours.  In this class, every week (or two weeks i some cases) there would be a new topic taught.  These topics would range wide, all things that you would not have a chance to learn in the college curriculum, but are important to survival in the “real world”.  For example, kids need to learn how to fill out job applications and resumés, to prepare for job interviews, and proper job etiquette.  They need to know how to do basic taxes, and be able to manage a household budget.  The students would learn about different healthcare options, and how to choose them.  They need to learn about building credit, and avoid getting pulled into bad situations (essentially, avoid being ripped off).  Even things such as changing a tire, and basic upkeep could be a topic for a week.  Maybe one week they can talk about basic childcare, and one week could be learning CPR and other emergency situations.  Recycling and other easy environmental solutions, personal fitness, and the workings of the stock market should also become more common knowledge.

A class like this would be helpful for all students, as they move on to live their lives past college, many of them who are so educated and well-read lack in these areas.  A failure to know how to balance a budget or choose a healthcare plan could ruin even the brightest student.

I’m torn between whether to make this a two part seminar course spanning two semesters, or to leave it as a one semester.  I guess it would depend on how many more ideas I (or someone else more qualified to think of these) could garner and put on a list.  With roughly fifteen classes a semester, a class like this could really help prepare students for the future outside their specific area of study.

2) COMPUTERS COMPUTERS COMPUTERS!

There are many general education requirements, and none of which I have any major problems with.  I do have one giant problem with an area not required to learn.  Can you guess what that it is? (Waits for an answer…) COMPUTERS!  You got it, how did you guess that?!? (Awkwardly notices the capitalized headline). Oh, right.  I am never going to be required to learn how to use computers and the Internet sufficiently.  Thank the heavens I have seen the light, and am self-educating as much as I can.  However, plenty of students are going to be stuck in the old way of doing things, and they will be unqualified for many jobs that seemingly should not be above them.  One could have a Ph.D. in journalism and all the experience in the world, but some jobs just require people who are computer competent.  Looking through a list of internships just a few weeks ago, every single one required knowledge of computers.  Mastery of PowerPoint, Excel, Spreadsheet, Photoshop, and other programs are often minimum requirements for entry level jobs.  Other entry level jobs require excellent web design skills, for people to create websites, design pages and backgrounds and exhibit professional looking web pages for business.

Everyone needs to know this.  Bar none.  It is only a matter of time before everyone will need to have expertise in using all of these programs, for every job imaginable.

3) Schedules

I was not sure if I wanted to include this, but my first two ideas were really true to what I think and I could not find many more.  But this is one I feel moderately strong about.  I believe that colleges (especially colleges in the same general area) need to get on the same schedule.  I am sick of having half of our friends having spring break one week for CUNY’s break, when two weeks prior one of my close friends flew in from Buffalo for his spring break and I barely got to say hello to him.  There is absolutely no reason for this.  He goes to a SUNY school.  At least Catholic schools have the excuse of Catholic holidays! Maybe it is fine and dandy to have their individual days off, but spring, winter, and summer breaks need to be choreographed better.  If my friend is only in New York City one week per semester, I should at least be able to see him once or twice.

(Also, why is it so hard to choreograph college schedules with high schools.  My girlfriend goes to St. John’s, and her two siblings go to Catholic high schools.  Their vacations are totally different.  So when her family all goes down to visit her grandmother in Florida, she is left behind because the vacations are inexplicably different.)

Three things, that is as long as the list is.  Could have been worse, I was not even sure I could get that far.  Other notes– I think that academic advisors are a little lacking sometimes, the semesters are always about a week and a half too long (that is just me complaining), and I am sure there is more than just that.

Overall, my qualms with the school system in college is minimal.  In CUNY we are given plenty of choices, and plenty of support to reach our goals.  If people want to graduate early, it is possible so no reason to bother with the four years.  The two semesters (with optional winters and summers) seems like the best way to do it.  Ultimately, there is not much to change.  However, the seminar and computer requirements I mentioned are necessary, and the scheduling getting on the same page?  Well, that is just something on the wish-list.

Orientation

“Well, hello everyone, and welcome to Madison University. Yes, we’re all mad here, very good joke, let’s move on.

“My name is Ms. Jones. I’m your advisor for the duration of your education here. If you don’t like me, you can request a new advisor, or simply drop by the advising center during open hours and ask someone else your questions. I’m available five days a week during normal business hours in my office, but you can email me at any time. No guarantees that I I will answer, though.

“I hope you’ve had a chance to explore campus a little bit before orientation, but if you haven’t there will be an optional tour after I talk. I would recommend that you take it and mark down where all the rooms are for your classes this semester.

“Yes, oh of course you don’t know where your classes are yet. You haven’t signed up for them. Why haven’t you signed up yet? Well, how can you be expected to know what you want to do more than four months before your classes start? The only students who sign up more than a few weeks in advance are those that have clear intent to graduate in less than a year, and they need to get their classes in order. Otherwise, you get to register with the rest of the students. Now.

“Most of you are probably going to try and get your requirements over and done with, and that is totally fine. Required classes are set up to be taken without any prior experience. Be warned, though, that if you take a required class and you end up majoring in the relevant field, you might end up repeating a smilier class at a higher level. And yes, if you take the higher level class, you can get out of the required one. So if you are planning to major in political science, you might want to be aware before you take the politics course.

“Yes, Mr. Owens. There is a required politics course. In fact, why don’t you all take out your hand out on your required courses? As you can see, there are nine of them. You should all know that these courses are graded completely differently from the rest of the courses at this college. The point of these courses is to learn the material and understand it, obviously, but we want you to have enough of a basic grasp to pursue the material further on your own time, if you are so inclined. So all papers and tests will be revisable for higher grades. A bit more homework has never killed anyone. And these classes will be small, no more then twenty students.

“Now, they are in no particular order, but let us go over them quickly. First is a writing course, which you will probably find at every college. It will cover writing across different disciplines and different citation styles, and how to use the library. Remember libraries? And how to use the internet wisely. Because somebody else’s high school blog is not a reliable source. Usually.

“Next is Modern Media and Technology, and we recommend taking that early. A brief history of the types of media you use every day, including the internet. A short section on advertising, which you should all be aware of in a capitalist country.

“Next is Modern Science. And yes, even if you major in a science you will probably have to take this course. It’s a lab course, designed to give you a basic grasp of physics, chemistry, biology and earth science and their respective terminologies. It’s worth six credits, and it’s time-consuming, but you will learn any math you need in the course. This is not equivalent to taking a basic course in any of these disciplines, however.

“Fourth is a Critical Thinking class. It will cover the basics of critical thinking and debate. You will probably have practical debates in class, you will learn about logical fallacies and how to avoid them. It also helps you structure any research papers you may write.

“Fifth is my favorite, Personal Finance. This class will teach you how to manage your money, including savings, checking, budgeting, investing, and so on. I recommend taking this class early if you are planning on having a job during your college years. It will help you maximize your money usage.

“You will have to take two Fitness classes at some point. Be warned that while you will not have homework in these classes, they are graded. You can take a sport, or a gym class, or even yoga, but each class will expect you to learn about different exercise regiments, muscle groups and some basic healthy eating habits. The gym is open to students from five in the morning until midnight, and the fields are always open. We recommend that you use them.

“There will be a Critical Reading class, that you are recommended to take after your writing class. This class will focus on your ability to read texts and analyze them and discuss them reasonably. Be warned that a text is not necessarily a book, it can be a movie or a television show, but you may not substitute one for the other. The Wizard of Oz is a very different story on paper than it is on film.

“And here is that dreaded political science class. History of United States Politics is an important thing to know, as a future voter. While much of the class will be history, it is very focused on current events. You are expected to be able to understand the media coverage of elections, both locally and nationally.

“And last, but not least, is our Foreign Culture requirement. Unlike other other requirements, this is not necessarily a single class. If you choose, you may take two semesters of a language. However, you may take two classes on foreign culture, politics and history that do not have language requirements. Or you may take one of each.

“There a few other requirements as well. First, you must complete a major. We do encourage you to create your own major out of two of more disciplines. It is a fairly simple process. First, you have to write an essay explaining your focus, and then you need to compile a list of at least fifteen classes that will fit in your plan. After I approve it, an advisor from each department will need to sign off, and there you are. It usually does not take more than a week or so.

“Second, you have a practical credits requirement. Practical credits can be internships or jobs, or certain types of classes. Classes with hands-on experience, like science labs, certain art or creative writing classes, production classes, etc. There are shop classes for woodwork and cars, and sewing classes aimed at students who want to know how to personalize clothes or repair buttons. You can build computers or websites and the like, as well. I believe a cooking class is offered every fall. Some higher-level positions in clubs will offer practical credits as well, as they will demand the time and effort equivalent to a job. If you have any questions about getting practical credits, please come to me.

“You will also find that many higher-level classes at our college have prerequisite classes. This is to ensure that classes are able to function on the intended high level, without forcing the professor to explain certain basic concepts or facts to you. If you wish to take these classes without the requirements, you will only need to meet with the professor to see if that is advisable.

“Hm, I think that covers most of the basics. Does anyone have any questions? Yes, Mr. Owens…”
_______________

Pamphlet

CLASSES OFFERED BY THE MEDIA DEPARTMENT

Table of Contents:
HISTORY OF MEDIA – Page 1
History of Media Technologies
History of Media Usage
MEDIA ANALYSIS – Page 3
Literature
Theater
Games and Video Games
Television/Movies
Radio/Audio
Internet
Other (some cross-reference with select Fine Arts classes)
MEDIA PRODUCTION – Page 17
Literature
Theater
Television/Movies
Games and Video Games
Radio/Audio
Internet (cross-referrences with select Computer Science classes)
Other (some cross-reference with select Fine Arts and Computer Science classes)

To graduate with a major from the Media Department, most students choose to focus on analysis or production, although you are required to take at least one class in the other department, three for theater majors. Most students also choose a medium to focus on, although you may take classes in different mediums besides your focus. And the internet Section does not yet have enough classes to fulfill the major requirements alone.

To suggest alternate classes, please contact the Dean of the department, Professor Scribner….

Personal Notes

Classes To Take!!!

Media Adaptations: Examining how stores translate across different mediums, including books, movies, television, radio, etc.

World-Building and Franchises: The study of media focused on building worlds for stories, and how that translates to franchises. Concentration on how franchises will use different stories in different mediums to promote the same world. Works include Harry Potter, the Matrix….

Oral Traditions and Fanfiction: Studying the similarities between retelling stories through oral traditions (fables, fairy tales) and modern fanfiction.

Fan Cultures: A study of modern fan cultures, from the early 20th Century to today.

Mediated Communication: A study of the growth and changes in communication from the letter to twitter and everything in between.

History of Sequential Art Until 1960s – a look at sequential art before the 19o0’s (Egyptian hieroglyphics, triptych paintings, Native American art, etc.) and an examination of the rise of the modern comic book

History of Sequential Art 1960s-Present – a continuation of an examination of the modern comic book in the United States and the rest of the world. Including a look at underground comics, comix, Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, etc…

_______________________fin.

Notes from me!

Ms. Jones is British, and named for characters in Torchwood and Blood Brothers (the play).

Madison University is named after the avenue I happen to be passing when I was trying to come up with a name. The pun just came to me.

I couldn’t figure out how to neatly fit it in, but you get a random day of vacation every week or two. The day of the week changes because no class should lose out more than any other class, but I beleive that a random day with nothing to do is really important when dealing with a lot of classes.

In the pamphlet, the “other” catagory includes comic books, video games, music and fandom-related stuff for now. I’ve found that the music industry is lucky to get one class, fandom is lucky to be acknowledged into other classes,  and comic books are lucky to be noticed at all. So I don’t know if they could support their own sections yet. I don’t think the Internet can either, but that’s going to be constantly growing department.

The formatting went way wonky on the Media Department pamphlet, sorry about that. Don’t know how to fix it.

Yes, English should be considered media. Just because it’s books doesn’t make it not a medium.

In case it isn’t obvious yet, I wrote this as a work of fiction. It started as a short story through the orientation speech, and grew a little. Did I spend too much time thinking about it? Maybe!

I didn’t know what to do with this topic at first, because I really like the way my college is set up. I like that I’m required to take certain core classes, and that there’s a great variety of classes in my major, too. My major is also a low-credit one, so I’ve been able to take random classes that interest me instead of just uniform subjects.

I guess I’d change the schedule a little. I’d rather that we ended a week or two later than we do in the fall semester and that instead, we’d start a little later and get a full week off in the middle of the semester. And as for spring break, I’d like it to be exactly in the middle of the spring semester- this year, it was early and jarred my mental schedule so much that it took nearly a month before I was accustomed to school again. Granted, it wouldn’t work with the holiday of Passover then, but I don’t mind missing a few days of school for my holiday- and spring break would feel like a real vacation instead of a few days in between the beginning and end of Passover.

As for the actual classes…I repeat, I do like the way that the Brooklyn College core classes system is set up. But some more variety would be nice, too. Instead of being required to take Classical Cultures, Music, and Art in the arts section of the cores, I’d rather be able to take any three classes of my choice in all the various arts sections, and the same for the history/philosophies and the sciences. English 1 and 2 should still be requirements, in my opinion, but I’d rather see them lumped into one class and the second required English class, again, be any English class of your choice.

Here’s where I get unrealistic. In my ideal college setting, each student would be required to spend a week of each semester somewhere abroad. Classes would be filled just like they would normally, and it wouldn’t be required to go certain places for your major. I’ve been dreaming of exploring the Amazon Rainforest since I was eight, and I’d love to spend a week there as a student- I’d even take that instead of that week off that I mentioned earlier. It would be a great way to broaden horizons and really explore other options and venues, getting a little sampling of everything without dwelling on one particular area.

As for my major…I’m a psychology major, which means very few credits are required and the classes are almost all fascinating, but I know that not every major is like that. I can’t change that, only because there’s a reason why certain tracks require so many classes, but I’d like to see an additional requirement to take a certain amount of extracurricular classes. In my opinion, college shouldn’t be just about getting a degree; it should be about learning, about studying things that you’ve never known and you might never need to know.

I mentioned in the forums that I love intellectualizing the nonintellectual, and I’d love to see more classes that do just that. I know that these classes do exist, but they’re not nearly as common as I’d like them to be, and are too often overlooked. Why not have a class on the meaning of Harry Potter? On the cultural importance of B movies? On the psychology behind the X-Files? There are thousands of thoughtful books on these topics, and I think that there’s much to learn in classes based on what we do recreationally.

Class size is something else that I would change, if it were possible. I think that classes with ten or fewer students are the most helpful in many settings, and though it isn’t feasible financially, in my ideal college, the classes would be tiny. Everyone would be forced to interact with the other students and the teacher, and speaking as a student who has struggled with focusing in class in the past, classes like this would be beneficial to many.

Overall, though, I wouldn’t change. I like our school system as it is, and I enjoy college very much. Of course, I’m not objecting to yearly treks up the Amazon…