Hot on the heels of showing us documentaries about porn, in sociology section we watch an episode of the Simpsons before filling out a pretty regimented questionnaire about its sociological import (“Does Bart’s new job create a role conflict?”). Instead of handing the questionnaires in, the teacher calls on volunteers. I get off one comment, asking why grades are necessary at all. It is received with the classic “what an interesting idea” from the teacher, who says it with a tone that indicates the idea sounds like it’s from Neptune.
To be clear, this is sociology section, quite distinct from sociology class itself, which I enjoy greatly and is not afraid of such questions.
Overheard
Girl: “I’ve had three nervous breakdowns and they’re not that bad.” Nervous breakdowns? “[You know,] to the point where you can’t stop crying for days.”
Heavily made-up girl: (in an indignant tone) “You know, everyone is always bashing Western civilization.”
One has an odd feeling of invisibility hearing these sorts of things, as if you’re there, but not really.
At MIT, the classroom buildings are given numbers. At many other schools, they’re given names. Stanford has tried a bold experiment: it gave them both names (Lane Hall, Jordan Hall, etc.) and numbers (Building 160, Building 200). The result? Which do students use? Neigher. They are almost universally referred to by their contents and location (History Corner, the Psych Building, etc.).
posted November 29, 2004 01:09 AM (Education) (5 comments) #