Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ucbcad!nike!lll-crg!seismo!rochester!cornell!batcomputer!cheryl
From: cheryl@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU (cheryl)
Newsgroups: soc.college,talk.rumors
Subject: Re: Accuracy in Academia
Message-ID: <1094@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: Wed, 24-Sep-86 10:47:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.1094
Posted: Wed Sep 24 10:47:53 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Sep-86 04:11:32 EDT
References: <15485@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <15492@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: cheryl@batcomputer.UUCP (cheryl)
Distribution: na
Organization: Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 63
Xref: ucbvax soc.college:28 talk.rumors:56

In article <5168@dartvax.UUCP> chelsea@dartvax.UUCP (Karen Christenson) writes:
>
>>>We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
>>>ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.
>>     
>>First: This was a survey course: not everything gets covered.
>>Second: What happened to independent study and intellectual curiosity.
>>Three: The assignments mentioned above would, if done properly, give one
>>a broad understanding of both the era in question AND a chance to see how
>>different historical eras connect; how history effects us today , etc.
>>     
>     I agree that it is a good idea to try to relate the past and the
>present.  However -
>     The Protestant Reformation is on my list of the top ten most significant
>events of history.  The Exploration of the New World is in around the top
>fifty or so, and the Rise of Spain is not real far after that (without the
>Rise of Spain, you see, the Exploration would have been real different).
>DaVinci is a personal favorite, but I suppose you could get by without
>talking about him.  The Hapsburgs were a major influence in the shaping of
>Europe, but you can mention the kings without discussing the clan.

If these topics were in the readings assigned by the professor in 
charge, then these topics WERE covered.  It's NOT the TA's job
to recap, spoonfeed, reorganize or encapsulate the BASIC material
for the student.  THAT'S the student's job.  It's the TA's job to
get the students to think about the material in a way that the 
student might not have done on his or her own, generate discussion,
bring in additional materials, and challenge the students in a
way that is qualitatively very different than merely becoming 
acquainted with a body of knowlege.  Unless, of course, it's an
engineering or science course in which the TA is primarily there
to collect homework and grade it, issue quizzes, help some students 
understand material that they find difficult, and give better students
a deeper understanding of the material.  

A good student will be offended by a TA or prof that merely does his studying
for him, or goes over the reading. 

A good student will not be offended if the TA tries to relate modern european 
history to current events to the exclusion of rehashing the readings for the 
bad students' benefit.

It's pretty easy for a department chairman or faculty member in charge to spot 
a bad student by what he or she expects from the TA.  Complaints are most 
welcome, and most amusing.  

>     Any course on early modern Europe that doesn't cover the Protestant
>Reformation has got one huge, gaping hole.  This is not just dogma, this is
>a matter of strong historical influence.  For instance, without knowing about
>the Protestant Reformation, you can't really understand the settlement of New
>England and many of the ideas that we have inherited from the first settlers,
>like the concept of the "City on the Hill."
>						Karen Christenson
>"Mostly harmless."				...!dartvax!chelsea
>			Have an adequate day.

And you can get most of THAT out of your average HIGH SCHOOL TEXTBOOK
on modern european history.  You can even get it in a more concise and
clear form out of the great works of Mr. Monarch and Mr Barron, who 
are regularly plagiarized by much worse authors.  It's mostly harmless, 
although a little knowlege is a dangerous thing.  Have an adequate education.

Cheryl Stewart