November 5

The relief at last night's results comes to me in waves. I thought that I would be so happy and emotional when the results were announced, but it seemed slightly unreal, like a dream.



The newscasters keep stressing the historicity of this election, which really goes without saying. My reason for feeling like this is a turning point comes down to the fact that the candidate who appealed to the highest instincts in people has won. His campaign was clean, he was honest about the state of the country without using scare tactics, and he made people excited about living in America. He made the entire world excited.

Americans had a choice between reason and emotion, between the orator and the soldier. We could have chosen tradition, experience, "safety," but we said no thanks. We collectively recognized the value in trying another path, the road less traveled.

Having an intellectual and former university professor in the highest office speaks to a very specific set of values - promoting criticality, examination, and thought over visceral reaction, privileging diplomacy over violence, hope and acceptance over fear. I am so proud that the people in this country want these qualities in a leader, that they want this man to represent us.

It's like a small rebellion. But one that had to happen, like America has stood up to its parents for the first time and made known that it can make its own decisions. And in a way, that is exactly what has happened. Record numbers of new voters, young people, and minority voters finally had someone to rally behind, someone with whom to stand up to the status quo and say "No. We are not okay with this. Do something else. Now."

Snap and Dine

Artist/product designer Demelza Hill created this disposable plastic cutlery set.



From her website (http://www.demelzahill.com):

Snap and Dine is a single use three-course table setting that integrates disposable cutlery with traditional silverware. The portable lunch setting expands the possibilities of eating outdoors in style whilst reinforcing the correct use of cutlery, which has been lost over time. This is achieved through the decorative qualities and formal setting which both are a visual reference to fine dinning. This product is fun and interactive whilst raising the standards of current eating on the go habits.



Okay, but isn't this also just reinforcing the current disposable lifestyle even more? Should we be eating our fast food off of fancy bourgeois plastic plates with visually pleasing, but environmentally harmful cutlery. And to have three plastic forks to have to throw away?? All to "[reinforce] the correct use of cutlery"? How D.A.R.!

Is this ironic or a bad joke? Wouldn't a beautiful set cutlery that is clearly designed to be reused and carried with you (maybe along the lines of camp cutlery, but pretty) be both more appealing and more in line with some of Hill's other designs like the recycled shot-glass chandelier, knitted plastic bags, or pulp paper chairs?

thesis woes

After being relatively sure this entire semester about what I was interested in for my thesis proposal in the spring, I think I'm going to change it. After one of my colleagues was told in no uncertain terms that he wasn't ready to propose, it made me think seriously about the kind of information of which I already should have a good knowledge, and iI don't feel like I can acquire that knowledge in the short upcoming months.

I'm considering expanding on my current paper topic for my 19th century art class, and I don't feel like I would be sacrificing anything if I did that. My topic is very interesting, and seems to have a lot of aspects that could be expanded; it would be dealing with some of the same issues that I would have been anyway, just gaining a historical footing instead of how those things occur in art that is being made today. And (maybe most importantly) I know who would be on my thesis committee, and they're all people with whom I want to be able to work closely. I may be able to find a geography professor also.

After the research I've done for this paper, and how much more could still be done, I'm concerned about having the time to develop something that isn't building on something that I've already researched for class. I'm going to talk with my 19th century professor about it next week to find out if she thinks it's a viable subject.

consultation

The prof. I'm assisting has finally (probably after seeing the results of the mid-term) acknowledged that his class is not succeeding. Yesterday only 20 (out of about 30) students showed up, and after the break only 12 returned to class. He emailed me today to tell me that he has requested a consultation from the education department.

There are a lot of things missing from the class, but I'd say that one of the main things is facilitation of interest. He assumes that the people are already interested in the class; I know that it's a requirement that they be there (as are all classes that are towards one's coursework). The trick is to create interest in the class where there initially was none. Instead the opposite is happening - students are becoming apathetic.

I wonder how he has been successful with this teaching style in the past? This isn't his first time teaching...is our university culture so different that it's not working here? Or has he been treating all of his classes this way and just not listening to the feedback of the students/TAs (though I think I may be the first).

chores

This semester's TA assignment has been frustrating beyond all belief. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing all of the important professorial duties outside of the classroom.

For instance, Professor decided to have the mid-term later than most other classes. Of course the students were happy to be able to put it off, but now he and I are in a crunch to get them all "graded" (I'm using this term in the loosest possible manner) in time to recommend that any failing students either get to work or withdraw.

I just sent him an email about this because I'm sure that he has no idea about the looming deadline. I also have a sneaking suspicion that he's going to ask me to notify the students who are in trouble, which I don't believe is appropriate.

Before the mid-term he told students that they only had to try as hard on it as they think they should. He said that if they feel like they've been doing too much work all semester than they probably have been and that they didn't have to take the mid-term so seriously in that case. For those that have been slacking off, the mid-term is their shot to keep their grade passable. I don't know how, as the one reading these, to grade feelings. The majority of the mid-terms are embarrassingly assembled, with no indication to me that they understand the concepts.

I think that if this is how his grading system works, he should try to operate within it himself. What will happen, though, is that everyone will get an A.

Also, he wants to revise the syllabus, which I think is pretty much not allowed. After all the syllabus is the contract between the professor and the student - changing the expectations midway through is not fair.

literature review

for one of my classes (the one I haven't complained about), I've been researching information that will probably become a part of my thesis proposal when I write that next spring.

It's more difficult than I expected to keep the two projects separate right now - I feel torn because I have to do the literature review for my potential thesis topic (so I can be sure that my idea is even viable), but it's cutting into my time doing the literature review for my other paper (which will also directly bear on my proposal).

I thought that having a similar topic would help keep things simple, but it's just jumbling all my ideas up into a big knot.

communism doesn't work in the classroom

I've decided to take a Rand-ian stance to the blog project that my professor has got us working on. I'm trying to walk the thin line between being cooperative and maintaining my own original ideas and research.

In class last week, Professor told us that he wanted us to try and write with a collective voice, meaning that we would all have the opportunity to write, edit each other's writing, etc. Ok, fine, whatever. We went to see the current Important Exhibition, and when we were talking about it, nobody really had anything exciting to say. Some of us (like me) were holding back because of the previous week's debacle.

In all honesty, there were things in the exhibition that sparked my interest, but I'm not going to write about them as part of the class blog. If I'm going to be doing all (or most) of the work, why should I contribute it to a project where someone else will share the credit for doing very little critical thought? I know it sounds like I have a superiority complex, but that isn't it. We are all in the class because we don't know how to use critical language to analyze art. It's no fault of the rest of the class (primarily made up of first-year grads) that they haven't had the instruction to do what they are being asked to do.

In a class where any concept that we don't understand (and that Prof isn't an expert on) is answered by being told to do the research ourselves and present it to the class so everyone (including Professor) can understand it, I'm loathe to bring up any critical discussion. So, I'm removing my thoughts from the discourse. At least about things that I think could develop into something. If I collaborate on a paper, it will be with someone who will contribute as much as I do.