I could be finished reading for my political science paper on UN, war and peace, having read a couple of chapters from books outside of the course’s syllabus. But nooo, the bloody pedantic bureaucrats who run the department of political science and sociology here at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have decided that for this paper, we need at least five sources from outside the reading list, one of which has to be a book and one an article.
So instead of starting to write first thing tomorrow morning (after the mandatory Angel episode for breakfast and a newspaper, of course), I have to read through a couple of redundant articles, even though I have what I need.
Sure, I see why this is useful for us students; it teaches us to search for additional literature, a skill we’ll all benefit greatly from if we decide to become scientists or researchers. But how many of us are gonna do that? And why five? I’ve previously encountered courses where we were required to find at least two or three sources from outside the reading list, but five?! And we flunk if we don’t follow their ridiculous rules?
Call me old-fashioned, or whatever, but I don’t believe in coercion. These people should bloody well sit their asses down for a couple of days and read some J.S. Mill, and then perhaps they would learn that you can’t force people to think, or do what’s best for them, you can only use rational arguments to persuade them that you’re right, and then hope that they’ll follow your advice.
But this policy of forced literature searches? Tastes of distrust and a de facto declaration of us students as incapable of managing our own affairs. Which is probably right — I’m convinced some 70% of the students would just have taken information from the curriculum if the requirement was removed altogether — but it doesn’t make it right.
Bleh.
14 Comments
“Call me old-fashioned, or whatever, but I don’t believe in coercion. ”
That’s anything BUT old-fashioned. In the good old days, coercion was the way you did stuff.
Thus the “or whatever”.
Coercion is underrated.
Or overrated, depending on who you ask and, in this case, what kind of pedagogic school they are fans of.
I’m a big fan of being told what to do. Problem is, these days, they tell you what to do with the goal that you will one day be able to think freely. That makes them tell me to do silly things like look up sources I don’t need.
Ah, yes, the care free days of utter irresponsibility. I miss those days like hell (horrible similie, by the way), wishing I could have some years like that again before I’m too old to enjoy it properly. Of course, it could be argued that I do my best to re-live those days now, while “studying”…
But the being told what to do stuff? Not too keen on that; I just like the lack of responsibility part.
Well, obviously, but you take the good, you take the bad, you take it all, and there you have, the facts of life, oh the facts of life. (CURSES UPON TED AND HIS ACCAPELLA GROUP!)
“Underdooooog!”
“…lives downstairs and it’s… understood,
he’s just there to take good care of me…
like he’s one of the family!
CHARLES IN CHARGE
OF OUR DAYS
AND OUR NIIGHTS
(charles in charge)
CHARLES IN CHARGE
OF OUR WRONGS
AND OUR RIIIGHTS
(charles in charge)
CHARLES IN CHARGE
OF OUR DREAMS
AND OUR FRIIGTHS”
“Shut up, Ted, it’s morning.”
Gods, I’m looking forward to the day when season 5 is released on DVD.
You’re not looking forward to season 4?
It was released September 16, arrived in my mailbox on September 21, or thereabouts.
Besides, I’d already downloaded and watched that one, with the exception of the last three episodes. Season 5 I’ve decided not to download, for some reason…
Ah.