Let me warn you about college studies - Page 2

Dionysus · #16 06-03-2002, 11:35 AM

Some of these professors need to realize that there is a fine line between getting students to think outside the box and challenging "the system" vs. attacking belief systems and backgrounds.

dzrose93 · #17 06-03-2002, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dionysus
Some of these professors need to realize that there is a fine line between getting students to think outside the box and challenging "the system" vs. attacking belief systems and backgrounds.

EXACTLY!

DeltAlum · #18 06-03-2002, 11:40 AM

Some professors teach from their ego instead of any scholarly background.

PhiStar · #19 06-03-2002, 12:33 PM

some professors in my radio/tv/film major are very close minded, especially when you are asked to write a proposal (treatment & scenes) to a tv show, or a movie. These are supposed to be your ideas, but instead of techinical and production which are supposed to be graded on, they grade on how much they like the piece, and if they don't like it, they grade lower. dumb.

i tooK Religion myth & mystery, an excellent class with a super prof who was open minded and respected different views and would listen to them; and the 2 hardcore catholic christian memebers of the course (who happened to be MUCH older than the rest of the class) argued the entire time and would not listen to people argue against their religion (even if the one arguing was catholic or w/e) and then both dropped the class because they couldn't expand on Ideas, broaden their thinking just a little bit. I also took a class called The German Witch Craze. It focused on witches and witchcraft in Europe. The prof for this class was a little less on the open minded side.

But i am happy to say that so far i haven't encountered any anti-greek prof.s and that many times when an issue about sororities and fraterneties are brought up, there are normally enough greeks in there to talk about all the good stuff and about our anti-hazing on campus that we see some of those same ladies or men in organizations after that.

ok, time for a nap

DeltAlum · #20 06-03-2002, 01:03 PM

Phi Star wrote:

"some professors in my radio/tv/film major are very close minded, especially when you are asked to write a proposal (treatment & scenes) to a tv show, or a movie. These are supposed to be your ideas, but instead of techinical and production which are supposed to be graded on, they grade on how much they like the piece, and if they don't like it, they grade lower. dumb."

I have a little experience in this area. I was a full time TV director and manager for over thirty years, and still freelance direct some TV -- mostly for national cable networks. I also taught TV production at the University of Colorado at Boulder for several years.

TV is a little more subjective than Diversity or Woman's Studies and courses of that genre. With TV, you can actually see the outcome of a project on a TV monitor.

While I am the first to admit that some R-TV-Film profs have little or no professional experience and probably shouldn't be teaching, I will also say that some -- I'll go out on a limb and say most -- college students of these media don't have a clue either. They either want to produce "War and Peace" on a home grade camcorder or edit pieces that make MTV look like it's produced for people with long attention spans. You simply can't understand how this thing works until you've been out in the real world and had to produce under a budget and deadline, and produce something the public likes -- not just you and your closest friends.

I don't know you -- haven't seen your work -- and am not saying that you fit this mold. It's just that you've hit one of my hot buttons -- for both reasons: inexperienced students and teachers.

33girl · #21 06-03-2002, 01:48 PM

DeltAlum -

I think (correct me if I'm wrong Phi Star) what she was trying to say was if the prof disliked the subject matter they got graded down, without regard to the technical merit.

For example, if I have a very feminist/"marriage is slavery" type prof, if I did a positive documentary on a woman who is a happy stay at home mom, even if it's technically perfect, she's going to give me a crappy grade.

And for everyone who is enjoying (?) this thread, pick up a copy of Who Stole Feminism by Christina Hoff Sommers. I am all for building female self esteem but some of the "womyns's studies" courses and curricula do exactly the opposite. Feminism is supposed to be about having more choices, not changing from one narrow view to another.

DeltAlum · #22 06-03-2002, 01:59 PM

33,

I think you're absolutely right -- and I understand that.

My point is that, unlike some of the more theoretical things we're talking about, TV scripts, treatments and even finished productions are "real" (well, kind of in most cases) things that you can be somewhat more subjective about.

Unfortunatley, about 75% of what you see from students is very disappointing.

Having gone there, I will repeat that some faculty members don't have the background to make those decisions. It depends on what school you attend. There are very few that are good in this particular field.

PhiStar · #23 06-04-2002, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl
DeltAlum -

I think (correct me if I'm wrong Phi Star) what she was trying to say was if the prof disliked the subject matter they got graded down, without regard to the technical merit.

Yes, exactly, that is what i was saying.
In defence to the profs, a lot of the profs DO have mucho experience though. My announcing prof used to work in radio and in tv, did commercials and had a radio show...and she was one of the best ones i had, even though a lot of students complain that she is tough (Duh, we ARE in college here).

(i'm more in the radio part of r-t-f, but i'll be working on tv & tv production in the spring when i am back from spain.)(i'm a double spanish major & r-t-f)

Quote:

Unfortunatley, about 75% of what you see from students is very disappointing.

DeltAlum, I agree that in some cases the students don't put in enough work and just pull a treatment out of no where in a few hours before its due, and in some cases they start it a month before and edits, re-writes and everything.
We would read our ideas and parts of our treatment/scripts, and get feedback and the prof would basically tell you he either thought the idea was A. crap, B. Good, & needs work or C. Amazing. He went off for the ENTIRE hour on one guys idea saying how awesome it is.
I did well in the class, so by no means am i just a bitter student, i just didn't like how he glorified some topics & ideas and then 5 min later would rip apart another student's idea (which the entire class actually thought was really good).

It's all good.

LeslieAGD · #24 06-04-2002, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by squirrely girl
what the hell is up with that. i mean gawd. if you wanna make a statement like that. hey. fine with me. but to find out who the members are first and then accuse them of being racist?!?!?!?! WTF?!?!?!

I would have registered a complaint with the department. This kind of thing is uncalled for and if we don't speak up about it, it will only continue.

AlphaChiGirl · #25 06-04-2002, 02:34 PM

I have heard everything now. More dreck from the Heritage Foundation.

I will admit, that those of us on the left side of the spectrum can be guilty of the same indoctrination. I have sat through so many meetings, lectures, in which the speakers criticize the Greek system of being elitist, racist, misogynist, etc--yet, they forget where we are.