A Piece of the American Dream

A couple of weeks ago we had the chance to visit Mike and the family at their new home in Brentwood (not the Brentwood in West L.A., but the one in Northern California). Here are some pictures of the man of the family at their new abode.

Teaching philosophy revisited

Gentlemen:

I’m updating my Working Personnel Action File (WPAF), and I find myself revisiting my Statement of Teaching Philosophy. If you’ll pardon the random musing, I thought I’d throw a few things out there. I know I’ve broached this issue before, but I am interested in feedback.

I think we all recognize a certain amount of tension surrounding various related questions: What is the proper mission of a university? What role should a liberal education play in that mission? How do the Humanities fit into this mission? And, finally, what role does language education play?

I used to bemoan the “trade school” mentality of the modern university, believing instead that the value of a university education lies not in the marketable skills learned, but in other, less quantifiable areas. I really do believe that, more than marketable skills, a university ought to help students acquire habits of mind that will enable them to be better, more reflective, citizens.

Nevertheless, there are problems with that idealized view. Regardless of the ideal, the reality is that many, if not most, students think of a university education as a commodity. They are buying a product that promises them a) career preparation, b) a piece of paper that certifies that they have acquired career preparation and c) the enhanced stature that having that piece of paper (sometimes) brings with it. Our society has fetishized college to the point that many, many people who have no need for, nor business being in, college, find themselves paying for a product (the piece of paper) that gives them a certain amount of distinction or social capital, but that in the end has little value in terms of career preparation. Meanwhile, there are so many consumers of this product, that the weight once associated with it is diminishing.

So what does this mean in terms of a Teaching Philosophy? It is very hard to sell the Humanities as career preparation, but there still is a need for areas of study that will produce well-rounded citizens. I think my philosophy needs to recognize that students seek marketable skills, but that they may not recognize the marketability of the sorts of skills that the humanities provides. Language skills have particular “real world” applicability, but literature is less quantifiable. I used to say that the study of literature is not its own reward, but it might be more useful, from a marketing standpoint, to say that it provides students with critical thinking and analytical skills that are applicable beyond the realm of literature.

I recognize that these are not new ideas, but every time our department is asked to come up with a mission statement, or do an internal review of our programs, the reaction is whining and moaning. The attitude of many people is that the benefits of our programs are self-evident, so we shouldn’t have to go through the effort of “selling” them. I wonder, though, is that attitude is about to be overtaken by reality.

Accessorize your Utilikilt

Want to buy a Utilikilt, but afraid that your legs will get too cold (or perhaps are unfashionably mannish)? Try mantyhose. Surely there's a conference session here somewhere. How about "Control top and Subversive (E)masculinities: Applying Contemporary Scrotal Theory."