In Bhutan, they have this thing called Gross National Happiness on which they base their country's overall prosperity. Their government provides them with clean water to drink and land on which to live, and most of its citizens are sustenance farmers, meaning they only grow what is needed to support their families. They aren't democratic, but the citizens have the right to remove the king if he becomes tyrannical and demagogic. They have a national dress code (which looks rather comfy, robes and pajamas, I dig it), one television station that broadcasts every night at 8pm, and so far, have held back the invasion of technology and salaciousness from the outside world.
I would live there, if they actually believed women were capable of holding a position of power.
The king's "cabinet", for lack of knowledge of the correct term, are all graduates of US colleges and fluent, for the most part, in English. They are also all men. The king himself has four wives, all of them sisters.
I hate to pull the feminist card, I really do, but in that part of the world, women are still considered baby machines and only baby machines. Don't get me wrong, I'm dying to have children and be a mom and hold my baby in my arms, but I'm equally desirous of a career and accomplishing all of my life goals. Being barefoot and pregnant is not one of them. However, if the women of Bhutan are content with their positions in life, then more power to them. I wish the US dealt in gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product, but I'm content with my position in life as it is.
We can only hope.
2.25.2009
2.10.2009
the death of journalism
All I hear about as a journalism student is the death of journalism and how newspapers are falling by the wayside.
Regardless of whether newspapers are going to live, journalism itself is never going to die. It's one of the oldest professions in the world (think of those hieroglyphics on pyramid walls...ancient journalist drew those so we could all remember). Everyone still needs to know what happened and when, and someone will have to write it down and write a story.
One of the things emphasized the most in my classes is the art of crafting a story to make it more believable. Working on the Otter Realm this semester has definitely helped me expand my knowledge about writing and crafting a story in such a way it makes people care.
Another writer on staff this semester actually got to interview Jayson Blair, a reporter from the New York Times who was caught plagiarizing and submitting inauthentic work. He said he resigned from the Times "because he got caught." In all regards, he shouldn't have been doing it in the first place. I know firsthand how fast a deadline can come up on you and you're left without a story, without a quote, and you still have to make it work. People say academia is the profession where it's "publish or perish," but I believe journalism is even more cutthroat. Freelancers especially have a hard time, subsisting on stories here and there to keep their name in the papers and their reputation intact.
I love every minute of it, though, and wouldn't change it for the world.
Regardless of whether newspapers are going to live, journalism itself is never going to die. It's one of the oldest professions in the world (think of those hieroglyphics on pyramid walls...ancient journalist drew those so we could all remember). Everyone still needs to know what happened and when, and someone will have to write it down and write a story.
One of the things emphasized the most in my classes is the art of crafting a story to make it more believable. Working on the Otter Realm this semester has definitely helped me expand my knowledge about writing and crafting a story in such a way it makes people care.
Another writer on staff this semester actually got to interview Jayson Blair, a reporter from the New York Times who was caught plagiarizing and submitting inauthentic work. He said he resigned from the Times "because he got caught." In all regards, he shouldn't have been doing it in the first place. I know firsthand how fast a deadline can come up on you and you're left without a story, without a quote, and you still have to make it work. People say academia is the profession where it's "publish or perish," but I believe journalism is even more cutthroat. Freelancers especially have a hard time, subsisting on stories here and there to keep their name in the papers and their reputation intact.
I love every minute of it, though, and wouldn't change it for the world.
2.07.2009
we just can't get rid of them
According to both this website and this PDF and this PDF (both from CSUMB), CSU Monterey Bay has a dismally low graduation rate. One in ten students will get a degree in four years; two in five will have their degrees in six. The CSU system as a whole isn't much better; 9% more get their degrees in six years, and 3% more get their degrees in four years.
Why do we have so many people who want to hang around?
I had a meeting with one of my school's academic advisors yesterday, both to ask her some questions about my transcripts and to interview her for an upcoming article I have in the school newspaper. She said that my transcripts looked fine and I was supposed to have that many units. She also said that CSUMB has some of the most desirable housing in the state (in terms of location, not quality), and that students, once they get past the 120 units needed to graduate, often just go to East Campus housing and stay there for as long as possible, switching majors and racking up units, until they've lived there for 10 or 12 years and absolutely have to find a way out. Those people, obviously, drive down our graduation rate, but I admire them for their dedication at achieving a well-rounded education.
We also have the students who just keep changing their mind, completely innocently. The advisor said that the problems usually arose when a student in an open, flexible major like SBS or HCOM switched to a much more regimented major like Liberal Studies or Business, which have major prerequisites along with the requisites. As a result, these students are often here a lot longer than they originally intended.
Finally, we have the students who are just completely unmotivated. CSUMB's system is designed for students to need 15 units per semester to graduate in four years. Most students end up taking 16 units per semester, simply because the majority of classes are 4 units, and it's hard to get exactly 15. However, 12 units is considered a "full load" for a "full-time student." For students who take the 12 unit approach, they can get their degree in five years, but when combined with switching majors and not convening regularly with their advisor to ensure they're on track, these students are often here just as long as they want to be. They'll move on when they get there, but they're taking their sweet time about reaching that finish line.
My solution to all these problems?
Offer every proseminar every semester, to anyone who wants to take them. Require each student to take two (the equivalent of a 4 unit class) per semester, until they are sure they want to pick that major.
Once they have picked that major, incorporate their major classes along with their GEs, so they get the full experience, but don't burn out on doing the same thing over and over again. I know I get bored doing the same thing over and over again, and this applies to classes, too. My semester this fall is five HCOM classes. I know how to torture myself.
If they decide they don't like the major, they can still change at a later date, and not have the entire semester or year become a waste, because they still have taken GEs and made progress towards their degree.
If a student has stayed long enough to surpass the 120 units needed to graduate but cannot graduate because of coursework incompletion, put a cap on total "earnable" units to 180. Everyone can finish a degree in 60 units.
I doubt anyone important is going to notice this, but it definitely would be worth a shot.
If only I ran a university.
Why do we have so many people who want to hang around?
I had a meeting with one of my school's academic advisors yesterday, both to ask her some questions about my transcripts and to interview her for an upcoming article I have in the school newspaper. She said that my transcripts looked fine and I was supposed to have that many units. She also said that CSUMB has some of the most desirable housing in the state (in terms of location, not quality), and that students, once they get past the 120 units needed to graduate, often just go to East Campus housing and stay there for as long as possible, switching majors and racking up units, until they've lived there for 10 or 12 years and absolutely have to find a way out. Those people, obviously, drive down our graduation rate, but I admire them for their dedication at achieving a well-rounded education.
We also have the students who just keep changing their mind, completely innocently. The advisor said that the problems usually arose when a student in an open, flexible major like SBS or HCOM switched to a much more regimented major like Liberal Studies or Business, which have major prerequisites along with the requisites. As a result, these students are often here a lot longer than they originally intended.
Finally, we have the students who are just completely unmotivated. CSUMB's system is designed for students to need 15 units per semester to graduate in four years. Most students end up taking 16 units per semester, simply because the majority of classes are 4 units, and it's hard to get exactly 15. However, 12 units is considered a "full load" for a "full-time student." For students who take the 12 unit approach, they can get their degree in five years, but when combined with switching majors and not convening regularly with their advisor to ensure they're on track, these students are often here just as long as they want to be. They'll move on when they get there, but they're taking their sweet time about reaching that finish line.
My solution to all these problems?
Offer every proseminar every semester, to anyone who wants to take them. Require each student to take two (the equivalent of a 4 unit class) per semester, until they are sure they want to pick that major.
Once they have picked that major, incorporate their major classes along with their GEs, so they get the full experience, but don't burn out on doing the same thing over and over again. I know I get bored doing the same thing over and over again, and this applies to classes, too. My semester this fall is five HCOM classes. I know how to torture myself.
If they decide they don't like the major, they can still change at a later date, and not have the entire semester or year become a waste, because they still have taken GEs and made progress towards their degree.
If a student has stayed long enough to surpass the 120 units needed to graduate but cannot graduate because of coursework incompletion, put a cap on total "earnable" units to 180. Everyone can finish a degree in 60 units.
I doubt anyone important is going to notice this, but it definitely would be worth a shot.
If only I ran a university.
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