They complain about not having enough money or professors.
Then they put classes like this on the schedule.
As the clock strikes midnight, movie theaters everywhere will be full of Harry Potter fans eager to see Harry, Ron and Hermione search for the pieces of Voldermort’s soul on the big screen in the the first of two “Deathly Hallows” movies.
The imaginary Potter world has some real life applications, according to OSU Dean of Students and fellow potter fan Mamta Accapadi.
Accapadi created a Potter-based class called “Finding your Patronus,” a freshman orientation class only offered in the fall.
Co-instructor Chris Van Drimmelen said there’s a lot to learn from the Potter books.
Maybe there is something for a 12 year old to learn. But if you’re in college and haven’t gotten your life straightened out to the point where a children’s fictional series doesn’t offer you help, maybe you should just stick to flipping burgers and/or telemarketing.
And you certainly shouldn’t be teaching if you believe that. Of course, if this course takes two instructors to teach it, I think that tells us quite alot about the quality of OSU’s teaching staff.
Phil, this is all about the Oregon Higher Ed System’s treatment of the undereducated mob that they get from Oregon (and out-of-state) public schools. There’s always been an issue of the intellectual leap from high-school work to University-level work, but with grade inflation and social promotion the rule, even jacking up college entrance requirements to a 3.5 GPA (high school) didn’t guarantee that all incoming freshmen could read.
A “Harry Potter” class is there to stimulate critical thinking (also not taught in high school any more) and elevate reading-comprehension levels. I’m sure that the Professors at Beaver U noticed that for whatever reason, these under-equipped kids WOULD stick with their favorite fantasy themes, so they put in a class based on fantasy to engage them.
There’s a solution to all of this: we need to drop back about 3 or 4 generations, and make ALL college placement subject to an examination. Students ought to have to PROVE
Phil, this is all about the Oregon Higher Ed System’s treatment of the undereducated mob that they get from Oregon (and out-of-state) public schools. There’s always been an issue of the intellectual leap from high-school work to University-level work, but with grade inflation and social promotion the rule in High School, even jacking up college entrance requirements to a 3.5 GPA (high school) didn’t guarantee that all incoming freshmen could read.
A “Harry Potter” class is there to stimulate critical thinking (also not taught in high school any more) and elevate reading-comprehension levels. I’m sure that the Professors at Beaver U noticed that for whatever reason, these under-equipped kids WOULD stick with their favorite fantasy themes, so they put in a class based on fantasy to engage them.
There’s a solution to all of this: we need to drop back about 3 or 4 generations, and make ALL college placement subject to an examination. Students ought to have to PROVE that they can think critically AND read at the level required BEFORE being accepted to University. This is what the SATs were developed for.
Of course, if we did that, it would dump most of the minorities out of the Higher Ed system, on their dumb asses, so it wouldn’t fly, but it WOULD cure the problem.
The real punishment is when they apply for jobs and need to send their transcripts.
I was hoping desperately that I was going to click on the link to learn it was a class on writing YA literature, which would be totally valid.
But no.