The Responsibility of Students

We encourage all to participate in discussions.
All we ask you to be is civil.

If your post includes words or masked references that are offensive, crude, repugnant, or obscene, your post will be duly deleted.


We thank you for your participation.

I`m curious. How is it that one generalizes from one`s own experience of school and college to the ``typical North American learning environment``? You`d be hard-pressed to find such a phenomenon. The variety of learning environments to be found in a single county of Ohio belies the very notion of one particular environment being typical. And that`s only in the public schools. When you start talking about universities, the atmosphere is even more diverse. There are plenty of colleges that DO, in fact, encourage diversity of opinion, heated debate, etc., on the most emotionally-charged of issues.

Should you want to make an argument against competition (which can sometimes be healthy, and certainly doesn`t have to entail the demeaning of one`s `opponents`), then it might be better to do that without muddying up the issue to begin with. Also, if your beef is with the human tendency to conform, and it`s socio-political ramifications, then don`t you think the length of your article demands that you stick to just that?

As it is, you have ended up with a mush of generalizations, as opposed to a persuasive argument.

Regards,
Aisha

ballukhan,

Indeed. There is some debate in Composition Rhetoric about our being cognizant of the demands of the market. Again class is a major part of this: middle and upper class students receive a liberal arts, college oriented education that allows them to be creative and exploratory..they also have the resources for trips, books, computers, speakers, etc. Students in working class areas are told to focus on rote knowledge and are most of the time trying to make up for what they werent taught properly years ago...one of my colleagues taught high school students who missed two years of maths for example. In addition, there are endless tests that teachers are told these students need to pass for their school to be funded, etc. So the actual process of learning and discovery is a luxury these kids just dont have-unlike students in affluent communities who have access to tutors, special programs and attention.

You can already start predicting which students are going to pursue management, etc and which students are being trained for vocational or low skilled labor. Comp Rhet is asking to what extent do we accept this system and/or how do we prepare students of working class educational systems for all kinds of knowledge making skills.

#9 by stuka on September 17, 2004 8:33am PT

I agree that to a great extent the content in physical sciences and especially maths is politically neutral- but let us admit that the research itself is guided by people who are politically aligned to the vagaries of political fundings of these research projects.

#7 by Saminasha on September 17, 2004 8:13am PT
``What is the goal of education and work-to better one`s society as a whole-not to better oneself solely. ``

Making the society as a whole better is the most obvious conclusion if all of us were to try and pursue Excellence in our endeavours. I think the fault lines exist within the teaching methodology at the universities where the teachers themselves reinforce the view that entering the job market is the sole utilitarian goal of higher learning!!!

#7 by Saminasha on September 17, 2004 8:13am PT
``What is the goal of education and work-to better one`s society as a whole-not to better oneself solely. ``

Making the society as a whole better is the most obvious conclusion if all of us were to try and pursue Excellence in our endeavours. I think the fault lines exist within the teaching methodology at the universities where the teachers themselves reinforce the view that entering the job market is the sole utilitarian goal of higher learning!!!

Ballukhan:

``ofcourse the fact that the CONTENT of the courses remains politically aligned towards western christian capitalism is a different issue and should be debated separately. ``

I guess that would be limnited to the social sciences. At least Science and Math have a universality with no alliance to cultures.

Ballukhan:

``ofcourse the fact that the CONTENT of the courses remains politically aligned towards western christian capitalism is a different issue and should be debated separately. ``

I guess that would be limnited to the social sciences. At least Science and Math have a universality with no alliance to cultures.

There are some interesting points here, particularly how most education systems train us to be compliant workers and citizens and less independent thinkers. This is best symbolized by the ``product`` and not process mentality.

The more corrosive aspects of competition are geared towards the individual and not the community. If one values unchecked wealth one tells himself he earned it-not that he was mediocre, or participated in undermining his colleagues at work, or has a better chance of academic success because he is the recipient of a middle class upbringing.

The ``competitive`` individual is less interested in how his classmates learn as a collaborative effort...he wants the slightly better grade.

What is the goal of education and work-to better one`s society as a whole-not to better oneself solely.

The article is quite...bland. the whole point of it being that students should know start demonstrating on the streets and campuses in the U.S. as they once did in Vietnam - which helped end that conflict.
I agree with that notion, yet, the concensus of students is not shared now as it was 30 years ago. Many students are extremely conservative, and can no longer be counted as a single group that votes democrat.
So while concerned students should become more active in helping shape America`s policies, so should concerned students do so in the Muslim world - where governments preside over high illiteracy, failed economies, and high corruption.
Miss Shirali, since you deal with the Middle East, you must balance your reforms - you should be more consistent.

``.....When solidarity has been achieved, it is the responsibility of students to expose lies and defend the weak. As those who are clearly privileged, students must help those who are not. Having learned to write, persuade, and convince, students must join together in a collective endeavor that should be aimed to ameliorate poverty and the lives of the less fortunate.

Students must break the chains that have enslaved the world. They must organize, unite, and resist. It is a truism that individuals cannot achieve change when dissociated and alienated from one another. Together, however, they can form overpowering movements aimed to dismantle the roots of injustice. .....``

Another call for revolution- another tragedy in making???

If we forget that we are talking about EXCELLENCE in academics and not some frking WAR then I am sure we can appreciate the modern education systems better- ofcourse the fact that the CONTENT of the courses remains politically aligned towards western christian capitalism is a different issue and should be debated separately.

Hmmmmmmm.....

The Notion of Educating has changed.. Now its Objective ...and goal oriented..
and the goal is to create a competitve corporate work force only.
Even creative arts are now becoming goal oriented...Your creativite now has to have
the ability to Sell .... and every thing is now measured in terms of increase in productivity
even of thought process.

Competing and then succeeding does not necessarily mean the misery of the losing side or even selfishness and neither is the sentence The shame associated with their rejection gave meaning to the pride associated with my admittance true in general; for in a competition you do not always end up on the winning side. Associating others` losses with the pride of your victory is a strictly personal view... for what is half empty is half full; it is upto you which side you want to see.

Competition is necessary, for as stuka says correctly, it provides ``the determination to succeed``... something an individual MUST learn to survive in the practical world.

Cooperation has its own importance... no denying that... but that cannot infer that competition does not. The best approach would be a hybrid of both these essentials.

Competition is a vital part of student years and beyond as well. Not only teachers, but parents too, instill this trait in their child from day one so as to make him/her work harder and beat their collegues; be it at school or in the playground.

Some students are very competitive. Others, and these comprise a vast majority, are not. Not that the latter are any less studious or get bad grades, but its just that they don`t cry if they get a 99/100 in a paper instead of a 100.

I`ve grown up in an environment where competition was greatly encouraged. As a young kid, it was competition among cousins and when I stepped into school, my parents would encourage me to compete with my classmates. But I have never felt hostile towards another collegue whether he/she was more or less competent than me. And most of the students I`ve come across in univ have been this way too. Infact, some of the bright studnets in univ were those who would be at every univ party and yet manage to score well in an exam.

Healthy competition does not result in a feeling of superiority. It does to some extent but not so much that you look down upon homeless people. That`s stretching it a little too far.

And students always stand united. What I found lacking during my univ years was a leader who could use this unity for the students` benefits. The sad part is that even though students in my univ would be united against the establishment, yet very few would be willing to actually stand up and fight for their rights. There have been times when, under the guidance of the right person, students have been able to voice their opinion, but this was very seldom.

Students will only be able to stand up against oppression and injustice when they stop attributing their success to the misery of others. Otherwise, most successful students around the globe would find Iraq, Aghanistan, Chechnya and Palestine responsible for their success.

Dude, I have hated every damn job where there was ``Teamwork`` involved.

Cooperation is code for lazy idiots who do not want to put in their share of work. Yes, we do have to cooerate as long as there is a consequence for not putting in your share and an incentive to go beyond.

Besides, if there is no competition, where is the motivation to succeed come from?