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What the heck - ?
Sep. 4th, 2003 07:47 pmOkay, I just got an email from my poli sci professor (who happens to be really cool and good and all). It said:
Dear student,
I neglected to mention that there is a writing assignment due next week.
(It's not too late to drop, if you are having second thoughts...) Please
see below for the assignment, which is due next Thursday. Feel free to
contact me by email if you have any questions. Also, you might find the
recommended reading helpful if you need additional background or read the
item for Thursday -- Katherine Boo's essay on American poverty. Please use
your imagination to write a fictional story that is both factually
plausible and compelling. The characters and their struggles should feel
real and be engaging. Believe it or not, this assignment is meant to be
both interesting and fun. See you next Tuesday.
Professor Joseph Luders
The American Dream
In principle, everybody who is self-disciplined, plays by the rules, and
struggles honestly to get ahead can succeed. For many, this is the essence
of the American dream. Yet, there is something abstract and perhaps naïve
about this view. While some families have the resources to give their
children ample opportunities to excel, others struggle against truly
daunting circumstances. Write a short story (5-7 pages, typed) about the
obstacles to success confronting a poor family living in a bad
neighborhood. The story might be about the parent(s) or the children. The
story might be redemptive with an upbeat ending, or it might be more
pessimistic about the prospects for upward mobility. Success need not mean
rising from rags to riches but being able to move up the socioeconomic
ladder at least somewhat, providing the basic essentials for a good life,
and furnish your children with greater opportunities. Try to be realistic
about an individuals earnings (the minimum wage, for instance, is $5.15 an
hour), rents, health care costs, the character of the locate public
schools, etc., etc. You needn't get bogged down with specific numbers or
expenses. Rather, write a compelling story about the difficulties of
realizing the American dream if you are living on a meager income. (Even a
household income that is average -- about $40,000 -- is hardly enough to
make ends meet.)
What the heck? First, why didn't he mention this in class? Is he really trying to scare people off? (He said repeatedly that he wanted people to drop - he wants a smaller, seminar-style class.) Second, is he for real? A creative writing assignment for my poli sci class? How can he require a whole class of poli sci people to write a 5-7 page short stories? I feel like one of my friends is playing a practical joke on me - I have a few friends in that class who would SO do that (and one of them is his TA, so she might conceivably have access to his email account...)
Mostly, I'm just floored. And wondering if I can somehow manage to fix up Dragon Music to make it match the requirements...
Dear student,
I neglected to mention that there is a writing assignment due next week.
(It's not too late to drop, if you are having second thoughts...) Please
see below for the assignment, which is due next Thursday. Feel free to
contact me by email if you have any questions. Also, you might find the
recommended reading helpful if you need additional background or read the
item for Thursday -- Katherine Boo's essay on American poverty. Please use
your imagination to write a fictional story that is both factually
plausible and compelling. The characters and their struggles should feel
real and be engaging. Believe it or not, this assignment is meant to be
both interesting and fun. See you next Tuesday.
Professor Joseph Luders
The American Dream
In principle, everybody who is self-disciplined, plays by the rules, and
struggles honestly to get ahead can succeed. For many, this is the essence
of the American dream. Yet, there is something abstract and perhaps naïve
about this view. While some families have the resources to give their
children ample opportunities to excel, others struggle against truly
daunting circumstances. Write a short story (5-7 pages, typed) about the
obstacles to success confronting a poor family living in a bad
neighborhood. The story might be about the parent(s) or the children. The
story might be redemptive with an upbeat ending, or it might be more
pessimistic about the prospects for upward mobility. Success need not mean
rising from rags to riches but being able to move up the socioeconomic
ladder at least somewhat, providing the basic essentials for a good life,
and furnish your children with greater opportunities. Try to be realistic
about an individuals earnings (the minimum wage, for instance, is $5.15 an
hour), rents, health care costs, the character of the locate public
schools, etc., etc. You needn't get bogged down with specific numbers or
expenses. Rather, write a compelling story about the difficulties of
realizing the American dream if you are living on a meager income. (Even a
household income that is average -- about $40,000 -- is hardly enough to
make ends meet.)
What the heck? First, why didn't he mention this in class? Is he really trying to scare people off? (He said repeatedly that he wanted people to drop - he wants a smaller, seminar-style class.) Second, is he for real? A creative writing assignment for my poli sci class? How can he require a whole class of poli sci people to write a 5-7 page short stories? I feel like one of my friends is playing a practical joke on me - I have a few friends in that class who would SO do that (and one of them is his TA, so she might conceivably have access to his email account...)
Mostly, I'm just floored. And wondering if I can somehow manage to fix up Dragon Music to make it match the requirements...
