I Know Why

I reread my handout sheet for Powerpoint presentation. The handout is as clear and concise as possible.

I reread my handout for the research paper. The sheet says clearly and concisely that it is a position paper that others can challenge. I have provided sample positions. They state clearly and concisely what an argument is.

Even if students do not understand what an argumentative paper is, I have provided links to the OWL website.

As a result, I conclude it is not that the assignment sheet is not good. It is very good so it is being severely criticized.

My American lit professor never quizzed his students whether they finished their readings or not, even when he was teaching undergrads.  He is very good at lecturing. But if you do not do the reading, his lectures probably would not sink in that well, either. I have not have the chance to take his seminar, which he tells clearly and concisely that it is not for the faint of the heart.

If you do not want to do the reading or do the work, you have the right to drop the class. What is the point of pouring out nonsense like that?

The way I designed the class has already made sure a student has to cover as many authors as possible. Each student has to cover four mid-term questions. I clearly forbid mining only one novel. Students have to deal with four different authors in mid-term already. Students have to cover three different authors for their final. Their first paper is on the two films. All these already made sure each student covers nine authors (artists), plus the two film directors. It is absolutely impossible for any student to make the false claim that they only read one novel and they got an A. Such a statement is a pure lie.

If you do not have a brave heart, do not take on something you cannot handle. Period. Simple as that.

If I ever got an A for reading only one novel in a class, I would not consider myself extremely lucky or smart. I think I would feel so ashamed that I would slap myself. Earning my tuition while I study is extremely hard.

Fortunately I made every dollar of my hard earned money count, almost.

Later, I will learn from my professor and tell one course is not for the faint of the heart. This will drive away lazy students who always puts the blame on the professor or instructor.

At the beginning of a class, it is always a good strategy to tell this class is very difficult. If you are not committed, escape right away.

 

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The Purpose of Studying Literature

The topic appears too general to tackle.

The first project I asked my literature students to do is to compare Citizen Kane and Roshomon to understand that reality must be approached from multiple perspectives. Each perceiver reaches a different version of reality dependent upon his or her angles and needs. There may exist a factual reality, but we can only infinitely moving near.

In other words, there does not exist one final, authoritative interpretation of a literary work.

From another perspective, literature enables us to know many lives that are vastly different than our own. Each of us can live only one life.  But through reading and understanding literature, we get to know so many people, so many lives, so many culture that we otherwise cannot know.

Literature is a complex art, incorporating every subject that humanities cover, such as philosophy, aesthetics, religion, folk culture, architecture, painting, music, education, politics, film, anthropology, and so on. Knowing literature is the key to know a people, a people in its culture.

However, literature, especially fiction, ultimately belongs to fiction. It does not portray real life as it is.

There are some who read literature for the sake of imitation. They might say: Oh, the Americans behave like this; the Japanese behave like this; the French behave this. So they go ahead and imitate. This approach carries a very high risk of erring.

There are also some who read literature to confirm their prejudiced sense of superiority. They might say: Oh, the Chinese believe in that, how primitive; the Americans do not know the fine art of classical Chinese poetry, what barbarians! This approach, no matter which side carries it, is not producing anything positive out of their study. They might be better off switching to other subjects of study.

The study of literature is to enlarge our understanding of different peoples in different cultures in different times. After unilateral understanding has bee achieved, the next step is to work towards promoting cross-cultural understanding, cooperation, and mutual development.

Building bridges, therefore, is what I consider to be the real objective of studying literature.

 

Description of my life, Spring 2009

In the first four years of my phd life, when I got really tired, I ran a really hot bath so the hot water could relieve me of my fatigue.

During Spring 2009, I was teaching a new course. It was a literature course and was supposed to be much lighter than the hellish days of when I taught in Foreign Languages, the Chinese Language Program.

But my fatigue had built up to its ultimate limit. Even though with the literature course, I was tired out. If my fatigue had reached my bones before, in the spring it reached my marrow, and my spirit.

I had to run a hot bath every day, in the early morning, to give myself enough relief to push myself out of my place.

Everybody else was wining and dining and having a good time in paradise.

The Chinese has a saying: 男人不能有钱，女人不能有闲。 Literally, a man can’t have money; a woman can’t have leisure. Everybody knows a man with a little bit of disposable cash is tend to find himself in unmentionable pursuits. Even if he himself is not really into it, he would still find himself bombarded with female flesh. When a plot of woods covers an ares large enough, you can find all kinds of birds in it, crows for instance.

Some firmly believe in the second half of the statement: a woman cannot have free time. If a man wants to preserve a woman’s chastity, the best strategy available for him is to work the woman to death.

The woman would have no other thoughts than simply to survive, besides cursing those who had manipulated and increased her workload to impossible, punitive limits.

Any man who came forward asking for romance or even sex from the woman became monsters that should be brushed aside. Or the woman, in a fit of fury, would be perfectly justified to eliminate him.

A woman has to survive first, to wipe out all the devils that seek to destroy her, before she has the time or energy to think of romance.

Any man who does not understand this basic human survival deserves nothing but a sounding beating on the head.  Someone should beat some sense into his befuddled head.

He has to stop thinking only about himself.

Anyone, no matter a man or a woman, who thinks about nobody except themselves, does not deserve real love.

Even a small child has to be taught that he should be willing to share his biscuits with his parents so that he can have biscuits more often.

 

Teaching Literature

I like teaching literature, but the reading load of this course almost equals to that of a grad course.

The usual guideline is assign 30 pages for one day’s work.

One poet, instead of two poets. Otherwise, no time is left for class discussion. If the instructor or professor likes to hear his or her own voice only, then they could lecture nonstop. That is not my forte.

I prefer to prod students’ to think.

Perhaps I am rather lazy. I do not feel like I have to think for 15, 20, or 30, or 100 students. Isn’t that very tiring for the teaching staff, and a little bit boring for the students?

Lecturing is very important. For instances, regarding poetry, if the lit prof did not show or tell there are at least seven ways to understand one of Emily Dickinson’s poem, I have no way of knowing that it contains such a rich amount of wisdom in it.

Hence now we come back to the purpose of a college or university education–to expand the mind, not to shrink it.

 

Reflections from Instructor

About the syllabus:

 

The reading load in the current syllabus is a bit too heavy for a 200-level course. It should be cut by approximately 25% to 30%. It almost equals to the load of a grad course. Students are not happy about this.

 

About the execution:

 

The experimentation with the two films at the beginning of the semester is very effective. 

Generally speaking, the experimentation with author presentation has reached its goals. There are always students who put the maximum amount of efforts into it and dazzle the class and students who choose to do what is minimally required.

At the beginning of each major section, it would be much better that the instructor gives a comprehensive lecture about the historical, cultural, aesthetical, and philosophical backgrounds before letting students start reading the literary pieces.

After that, the student can do presentation on each individual author.

As it is, the current arrangement has student presentation in each session. Some students may have  a difficult time grasping the large picture. 

Grade criteria for the first paper must be high to ensure quality work later.

The instructor, being too busy, forgot to ask students’ feedback half way through the course. 

One thing to remember is that most of the students are not from the English major or literature major. Therefore, it is not wise if the instructor assumes students are familiar with lots of literary terms or works. More explanation is needed to simplify things so that the instructor would not give some students the impression that she is talking over their heads. 

The instructor would really like to have student responses to their reading assignments, either in a portfolio format or online blogging format. But due to computer difficulties, the instructor did not put that into practice. It is a regret. 

 

About the assignments:

 

It is very important for later execution of the class to tell the students that the first paper is personal interpretation while the second paper is a formal research paper.

It is crucial to introduce what an argumentative paper is when the instructor specifically wants an argumentative paper. Students tend to have a vague understanding about a formal research expository paper and an argumentative one. The former can mean any paper in which one explains one’s particular understanding about a particular issue. The latter can mean the student writer has to pick a position in a controversial issue and has to argue for or against it.  

In view of the papers received, most papers belong to the expository group.

The instructor does not like to take complicated measures to achieve a simple task. So, it is better to simply give student the review questions and ask them to prepare three or four after class reviewing. 

 

About student management:

 

It is crucial to lay down very specific rules on attendance and excessive absences. Policies, penalties, and rewards have to be very specific. Students have a tendency to abuse rules to their best advantage, which is human nature. 

Late paper policy follows the same spirit.

The instructor must hold up high standards at the very beginning. It will never do to raise the standards later in the course. 

 

About student performance:

 

Most students do very well on Powerpoint presentation. 

For the first paper, different students show different levels of writing capabilities. Some are really good writers while some have difficulties.

Many improved dramatically for the second paper, which might indicate that they are good writers from the start, only some of them are not expecting high proficiency in written communication.

There is only one student who requires additional training in English composition.  

On the whole, students do very well for midterm essay questions and final essay tests.

Quite a few students, however, remain very silent during classroom discussions. But they show incisive and well-rounded understanding for essay tests. 

For these students, perhaps another way has to be found to engage them more in the class. 

On the whole, students are good. Some grumble before work. As long as they do a good job, a certain degree of grumbling is expected. Plus, it is human nature to want to reap the most amount of results with the least amount of efforts, although generally life does not work that way.