While I was reading Book V of Plato's Republic I experienced a mini-revelation. I have been pursuing my collegiate education in much the same way that Socrates has been preparing his guardians to become good and just. He allows them to learn in ways which he deems "good," such as physical and cultural education, but he limits or eliminates anything that might corrupt the guardians, such as music and poetry. By surrounding the guardians with the good and the just, he hopes that they will become good and just, the best possible rulers for this city of words.
I have tried to take classes at St. Mary's in large part according to which professors my friends and acquaintances love the most. So far it has worked out fabulously well in terms of how much I enjoy the classes. But something Matt has said several times in class, about being able to learn a lot from people you don't like (ex. Alan Bloom), got me thinking... am I missing something?
It is all well and good to seek out people who are beloved for their wisdom and humor, professors who are purported to be good teachers. But by surrounding myself with only the wise and good, am I missing out on what I can learn from "worse" teachers? And should I be allowing my peers to influence my opinions of professors, and consequently the classes I take, in such a profound manner, before I have even met said professors? This way I miss out on any opportunity to discover for myself a great professor who may be underrated by his students. And the reverse is true - I may be taking at face value the reputations of good professors without really wondering if they deserve such praise. (Though in actuality I sincerely think all the highly-lauded professors I've had here did deserve their praise, but in a more theoretical sense I might run into someone who didn't.)
Thoughts?
Walk in Beauty ~ Lisa
I think your procedure is a sound one. Remember that your criterion is not simply professors other students like, but those passionate about both their subjects and student learning. Thus if you are attentive to the grapevine you can choose teachers who will push your boundaries, whether you find them personally appealing or not.
ReplyDeleteI find it somewhat interesting, since I have the opposite approach. I intend to take classes with as many of the professors as I can during my time here. And out of those, determine which I valued most post factum. To explain my own reasoning, I'm quite convinced I'm not qualified to determine what I can learn from a teacher except by learning from them. There's a bit of fallacy there, I think, though I haven't taken the time to explore it, and I'm wondering if that fallacy would work as a sort of key to understanding how one should select teachers.
ReplyDelete@Matt: Thank you, I appreciate the support.
ReplyDelete@Josh: Actually, I've heard about so many great professors here that I usually don't take more than one class with each.
Your point that you're not qualified to determine what you can learn from a teacher beforehand is exactly the idea I'm trying to get across here. This could be a flaw in my way of choosing classes. But I've been satisfied with my choices and I believe I have learned much from them so far, so I must be doing something right. I am greedy for knowledge and I want to make the most of college (and rhyme a little now and then).
This idea has broader applications than simply choosing classes... we can learn a lot from those people and situations that make us feel awkward, uncomfortable, or upset, and sometimes we learn lessons/information that could not be gotten any other way (ex. painful interactions with a bitter grandparent). Although our first instinct may be to avoid, if we push ourselves to accept the knowledge such people and events can convey, then we will become stronger, better people.
The same goes for emotional value that such interactions can provide, but that may be a conversation all its own.
Hm... I agree of course, and you've put it better than I have.
ReplyDeleteI think though, that at the heart of this idea, is the question, "who/what can teach?" itself. I mean, in order to determine whether someone teaches well, or a lot, one must decide how to evaluate teaching, which isn't really something we've decided on. Until we do that (and all of the things that might need to come first), I'm not sure what to say about it.
My dear Lisa, you are missing out. Some of the most interesting insights I have ever heard were in classes that were almost empty, since my fellow students found the instructor boring. I find this related to your essay on art, because you can cultivate a receptivity to either a professor or a work of art which the masses report does not do much for them. And if you are willing to listen and engage, there is much to be learned.
ReplyDeleteMy most memorable political science professor was with an elderly Polish scholar with a chronic cough. Students stayed away from him in droves.
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see you're lurking a bit on our discussion. Several of the students here have said how much they miss you and your teaching style. I hope you will weigh in from time to time and set us straight.
best,
Matt Silliman
Kate, I shudder to consider what you think of your own memorability, since I'm sure your classes are never empty.
ReplyDeleteI am a fairly easy person to please, and I tend to be optimistic (except when I'm not). I have taken away something meaningful from every course I've taken here. But I don't think I'm capable of figuring how much I've learned or the quality of that knowledge. And because I've fully accepted that I can never know or experience it all, and I've realized that even the best classes are flawed, I freak out choosing "perfect" classes much less now than when I first came here.
I still manage to take some classes with professors I'm not particularly fond of, so hopefully I'll meet a few Polish scholars with chronic coughs of my own along the way. :)