A College Question Answered

Michael says,

I’d like you to make a post regarding college curriculum. Why does it even make sense for me to take biology when my major is DEAF STUDIES? I’m studying American Sign Language and Deaf culture…I’m not trying to conduct experiments as to WHY people go deaf…

Ah, yes, what you are saying is a common complaint of students who are frustrated by distribution requirements. I am usually a firm proponent of obtaining a broad education, so I will speak in favor of it now.

First, in an abstract sense, what area of study truly stands alone? History, for example, is inextricably tied up with political science, archaeology, sociology, and economics, just to name a few. Although a chemist might claim independence of the physicist, any practical application of their work requires an understanding of both chemistry and physics. Perhaps mathematics, in its abstract idealizations, may be able to stand on its own strength, but even that is an issue for discussion in the realm of philosophy. And of course, the field of neuroscience is involved in everything because everything we know is contained in our brains.

My point is that while we might be under the impression that we only need to study a limited field of knowledge in order to function well in our chosen career, when it comes to the actual application of our talents in our professions and vocations we are much better served by having a wide spread of knowledge that may or may not have obvious relations for what we think we will be doing.

Now, you might say, that is all well and good, but still, what does biology have to do with Deaf Studies? If you were in a vocational, technical, or trade school, I might agree that your time in biology class might be better spent elsewhere. However, Deaf Studies is only your major. By no means should majoring in a particular field unalterably mean that you must pursue a career in that field, and your college curriculum is set up with this in mind. As for myself, I am planning to graduate with a Bachelors of the Arts with a major in English. At my school, only about a quarter of all the classes I have and will take can be classified as “English” classes. Rather, I am obtaining a broad education that will enable me to have quite a few options when considering a career and further education.

This is really the point of having distribution requirements, which can have you taking classes that you would never consider taking otherwise. As an added bonus, you may sign up for an introductory class that initially seems uninteresting to you and later find out that you have a real aptitude and interest in that field.

However, there is a good way and a bad way to handle these requirements on the part of the college or university.

Bad way: stick students who are majoring in the particular field in the same class as the students who are being forced to take the class. It is easy to see how this can quickly lead to problems.

Good way: provide separate classes for non-majors that take into account that the students taking these classes may not be the most enthusiastic and may not have developed certain skills that would be expected of students specializing in that field.

These three kinds of classes are fundamentally different. A class for majors is interested in teaching the material to students well enough for them to use that knowledge in their further studies as well as any potential practical application. A class for non-majors should work a little harder to make the material relevant for the students as well as having reasonable expectations for the capabilities of the students. Also, a class for non-majors will often be focused on teaching the methods of thought and approaches rather than purely technical details. A mixed class has to try to achieve all of these goals, which is impossible, or else leave a significant portion of the class utterly dissatisfied.

If you find yourself studying something that seems useless to you, look again. You never know which pieces of information will prove vital for you.

That said, some things aren’t useful for everybody. Nobody can study everything; choose carefully what classes you take, what you read, and who you listen to.

A Study Question Answered

Michael asks,

As a fellow collegian student,ok this is a long question…

What study strategy would you recommend to a student who normally absorbs everything through the lecture while recording notes and normally would do better on exams when they don’t study their notes than when they do?

Reason for asking is I have a Biology II professor that lectures with no explanation, only terms, then definition, then terms, terms, terms, and definition. The whole class is so busy recording notes that they can’t absorb or process anything that the professor is saying. She just goes on and on and on and on.

IF you attempt to stop her and ask her to clarify, which is what she asked us to do in the beginning of both semesters (This is my second time taking the class with the same professor), she just goes off on a tangent and insults you for not keeping up.

Advice?

I think the first thing to remember is that professors don’t get paid to be nice. Sure, most teachers could probably do a better job at teaching if they had a little more niceness sprinkled on them, but it’s just not in the job description.

On top of that, the average professor has to deal with a lot of frustrating things. Should a professor allow that frustration to bleed over into their classroom manner? Of course not, but there’s really no punishment (besides negative student feedback) for behaving insensitively. The bottom line is, don’t be surprised when you encounter a cranky professor and don’t kill yourself worrying about it.

With that said, your primary concern is learning the material and/or getting the grade you want in the course.

It’s not unusual to feel like lecture time is unhelpful for your personal studies. It is very difficult, especially in larger classrooms, to teach in a manner that every student can find useful. If you read the material, pay attention in class, and still don’t feel comfortable with what you’re studying, it’s time to take more social approaches to learning.

Here are some things to try:

1. Office Hours

Arrange a time to meet with a professor and/or TA. Show up with specific questions about specific material; hopefully they will be able to help.

2. Study with other students

Whether it’s as simple as asking someone else in the class, or as involved as getting a tutor or gathering a few classmates to study together, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You will get three basic types of responses:
- students who know everything already and are too busy to help you (these are the students who will graduate and become like the professor you described)
- students who are just as confused as you are
- students who can answer your question or at least give another way to look at the material

In my experience, most students are in the second group. But the idea that I’m trying to get across is to talk to those around you. You never know who might be able to help.

Foolish Phrases (Part III)

“Studies have shown…”

Really? What kind of studies? More importantly, can you show me where to find these studies so that I can read them? This sort of thing (showing your readers or listeners where you got your information from) is called a reference. References are useful in demonstrating that you are not just making up whatever you are talking about. Unfortunately, in many instances where this phrase is used the speaker has no references and doesn’t know what he/she is talking about. Instead, they read or heard a “studies have shown…” and are merely repeating what they have heard because of confirmation bias. So, this particular phrase is especially dangerous because it actually propagates itself. It’s like a virus. Beware.

Alternate solutions:

- Use a footnote or endnote
- Include a link (if you found your information on the internet (which is another issue))
- “As you will find in this particular study in this particular year…”
- “Mr. Authority On The Subject Says…”