Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Opening Week Highlights
As of today I have now attended all 3 of the classes I plan to take during my first semester of graduate school. Here are the quick highlights for those keeping track at home.
Course #1: Intro. to the Professional Study of History
Take all the first year history grad students in the school. Find a table large enough for them all to sit at, making sure to account for the two (2!) professors teaching the course. This week we discussed the relative merits of Herodotus and Thucydides, with yours truly trying his best to vouch for the latter despite his confessed tendency to make up speeches. Beyond the actual material however, the most interesting part of this week's class was the way in which all of us were able to participate in the discussion. The professors devised a system whereby people who wish to express an opinion or ask a question raise their hand to be added to a list of commenters. The people on the list then get a chance to make their points in order, moving one by one down the list. However, one can interrupt the list's progress however by raising both hands simultaneously, the idea being to make one feel uncomfortable so as to inhibit that particular course of action. As might be expected, the plan was a bit of a flop. These are grad students after all and they don't mind looking silly for the sake of hearing themselves talk. That sounds a bit harsh I know, but some people abused the privilege such that by the end almost everyone took it upon themselves to respond directly to other people's comments through the double hand raise rather than wait for their turn on the list. Still, the class was interesting and they'll provide us with lunch every week, which is a rather unexpected, but definitely appreicated bonus.
Course #2: The History of Science from the Enlightenment Until Present Day
Originally, I was not going to take this course. I was going to take another course with the same name. That course however would be more philosophical in bent with readings from philosophers, pundits, and other secondary commentators rather than actual primary source material. So on a whim, last Thursday I decided to attend the first lecture of the undergrad lecture course on the subject in hopes of potentially auditing it. After a thoroughly enjoyable lecture on Newton, Leibniz, and good olde natural philosophy, the professor came over and asked, much to my surprise, if I had e-mailed him about attending the class on a more permanent basis. I had not, but a fellow grad student had, asking if he could take the class , perhaps with a slightly supplemented reading list, and earn graduate credit for it. The professor was open to the idea and, knowing a good thing when I saw it, I asked if I could participate as well. And so far, I believe I've made the right decision. The reading list is outstanding, with texts ranging from Leibniz to Watson and Crick with brief stops at Freud, Darwin, and Einstein along the way. And what do you know? I got a brief mention in lecture today as the only person who had ever heard of Ebenezer Kinnersley prior to attending the class. It almost makes me wish I had read the book I found at the public library sale: Ebenezer Kinnersley: Franklin's Friend. The good news is that the book is available at the university library, so I can pick it up later should I find time.
Course #3: Material Epistemology
This is a strange course, whose erudite sounding title might dissuade the faint of heart from participating, much to their loss. The fundamental idea of the class is that material objects, specifically scientific equipment and instruments contain implicit knowledge value, whether they be models, devices intended to demonstrate an effect, or otherwise. In other words, to study the history of technology, you need to actually look at how it was constructed, how it was used, and so forth. During the course of the semester we will be considering the history and evolution of scientific devices in an attempt to understand how they reflect and supplement creators' ability to approach the task of scientific inquiry. The professor is an expert on the history of technology and hooked us all into the subject right away with an outstanding hands-on activity...the sort of thing I wish I could have done with my students when I was teaching. The professor distributed a handful of identical looking arcane mechanical devices and asked us to deduce simply from its appearance what they were. He even encouraged us to take them apart, little knowing that one person (you can guess who) would have an issue putting it back together again. After about fifteen minutes, he gave us a clue...a propellor...and then it suddenly became very clear. It was a model airplane engine, which apparently is not the sort of thing that's easy to find anymore. Considering that I had flown a plane using just such an engine when I was in middle school, I was astounded I didn't recognize it...and a touch embarassed that I was not the first to realize it was an engine. Still, it was definitely a worthwhile intellectual exercise and foreshadowed an equally interesting class discussion covering everything from 17th century telescopes to the supposed benefits of using Linux vs. Windows. And hey, I even got to bring in an experience from Underwood into the mix! All in all, pretty cool stuff.
So the overall verdict after one week is : so far, so good. My professors are brilliant, my classmates are friendly, and the coursework is relatively interesting even if I never plan to consider the political discourse voiced by Tanzanian intellectuals beyond this semester. (Yes, that was from an actual reading for Course #1...it wasn't that bad. Really!) In fact, assuming I can keep up with the reading and the papers, I may just be able to handle this whole graduate school thing after all.
As of today I have now attended all 3 of the classes I plan to take during my first semester of graduate school. Here are the quick highlights for those keeping track at home.
Course #1: Intro. to the Professional Study of History
Take all the first year history grad students in the school. Find a table large enough for them all to sit at, making sure to account for the two (2!) professors teaching the course. This week we discussed the relative merits of Herodotus and Thucydides, with yours truly trying his best to vouch for the latter despite his confessed tendency to make up speeches. Beyond the actual material however, the most interesting part of this week's class was the way in which all of us were able to participate in the discussion. The professors devised a system whereby people who wish to express an opinion or ask a question raise their hand to be added to a list of commenters. The people on the list then get a chance to make their points in order, moving one by one down the list. However, one can interrupt the list's progress however by raising both hands simultaneously, the idea being to make one feel uncomfortable so as to inhibit that particular course of action. As might be expected, the plan was a bit of a flop. These are grad students after all and they don't mind looking silly for the sake of hearing themselves talk. That sounds a bit harsh I know, but some people abused the privilege such that by the end almost everyone took it upon themselves to respond directly to other people's comments through the double hand raise rather than wait for their turn on the list. Still, the class was interesting and they'll provide us with lunch every week, which is a rather unexpected, but definitely appreicated bonus.
Course #2: The History of Science from the Enlightenment Until Present Day
Originally, I was not going to take this course. I was going to take another course with the same name. That course however would be more philosophical in bent with readings from philosophers, pundits, and other secondary commentators rather than actual primary source material. So on a whim, last Thursday I decided to attend the first lecture of the undergrad lecture course on the subject in hopes of potentially auditing it. After a thoroughly enjoyable lecture on Newton, Leibniz, and good olde natural philosophy, the professor came over and asked, much to my surprise, if I had e-mailed him about attending the class on a more permanent basis. I had not, but a fellow grad student had, asking if he could take the class , perhaps with a slightly supplemented reading list, and earn graduate credit for it. The professor was open to the idea and, knowing a good thing when I saw it, I asked if I could participate as well. And so far, I believe I've made the right decision. The reading list is outstanding, with texts ranging from Leibniz to Watson and Crick with brief stops at Freud, Darwin, and Einstein along the way. And what do you know? I got a brief mention in lecture today as the only person who had ever heard of Ebenezer Kinnersley prior to attending the class. It almost makes me wish I had read the book I found at the public library sale: Ebenezer Kinnersley: Franklin's Friend. The good news is that the book is available at the university library, so I can pick it up later should I find time.
Course #3: Material Epistemology
This is a strange course, whose erudite sounding title might dissuade the faint of heart from participating, much to their loss. The fundamental idea of the class is that material objects, specifically scientific equipment and instruments contain implicit knowledge value, whether they be models, devices intended to demonstrate an effect, or otherwise. In other words, to study the history of technology, you need to actually look at how it was constructed, how it was used, and so forth. During the course of the semester we will be considering the history and evolution of scientific devices in an attempt to understand how they reflect and supplement creators' ability to approach the task of scientific inquiry. The professor is an expert on the history of technology and hooked us all into the subject right away with an outstanding hands-on activity...the sort of thing I wish I could have done with my students when I was teaching. The professor distributed a handful of identical looking arcane mechanical devices and asked us to deduce simply from its appearance what they were. He even encouraged us to take them apart, little knowing that one person (you can guess who) would have an issue putting it back together again. After about fifteen minutes, he gave us a clue...a propellor...and then it suddenly became very clear. It was a model airplane engine, which apparently is not the sort of thing that's easy to find anymore. Considering that I had flown a plane using just such an engine when I was in middle school, I was astounded I didn't recognize it...and a touch embarassed that I was not the first to realize it was an engine. Still, it was definitely a worthwhile intellectual exercise and foreshadowed an equally interesting class discussion covering everything from 17th century telescopes to the supposed benefits of using Linux vs. Windows. And hey, I even got to bring in an experience from Underwood into the mix! All in all, pretty cool stuff.
So the overall verdict after one week is : so far, so good. My professors are brilliant, my classmates are friendly, and the coursework is relatively interesting even if I never plan to consider the political discourse voiced by Tanzanian intellectuals beyond this semester. (Yes, that was from an actual reading for Course #1...it wasn't that bad. Really!) In fact, assuming I can keep up with the reading and the papers, I may just be able to handle this whole graduate school thing after all.
