One thing I firmly believe in is that if you are paying for your education, you should be able to take it on your own terms, even to your own detriment if you so wish.
Like, for instance, the gal from my feminist theory class who hasn’t shown up once in the past three weeks. It’s her prerogative, and I’m sure she knows what she’s doing. Or how my statistics-for-sociology-majors class size has dwindled to a mere 13 or 14 regular attendees (out of at least 30). The rest only show up on Fridays for the quiz or exam, and they seem to be okay with that.
In a slightly different light, I’ve decided to stop attending my philosophy class — the one I overslept for on the first exam, the same one wherein I skipped the same first exam last semester and rightly failed. (Come on! It was Derrick Jensen!)
Why would I do such a stupid, stupid thing? Mostly because I can take one more stab at it (and will do so over the summer semester) but also because I loathe this course like none other I’ve ever taken. The class would be okay if we actually discussed the philosophy of eastern religions, but it’s a large lecture-hall course where the professor puts up outlines on the overhead projector and lectures at us for 50 minutes three times a week. Discussions? Philosophical inquiries? Not a chance. To me, that’s not a philosophy course. But excuses are just excuses.
I’m well aware that all the blame lies on me. I’m even more aware that this system wasn’t designed for folks like me and I can either play along or deal with the consequences.
I’m okay with that.
I was/ am terrible about forcing myself to go classes I really didn’t want to go to. But I was much less cool about it. I was constantly wracked with anxiety and guilt.
I just started reading your blog and I am really enjoying it. I just wanted to ask about your attendance policy up there at W. Lafayette (I go to the Purdue extension campus at Indianapolis Intl. Airport School of Tech). So is it a mandatory one or will you not get docked in grades if you miss several or more classes? Just curious. I myself have a hard time with the lecture/no discussion allowed classes, but unfortunately this is the mainstream educational way. Oh well, something to slog through so that we may have more interesting not to mention better paying careers than would normally be the case. I also really enjoyed the article on “Hell” and agree with your view, but that’s an altogether different topic. Thanks for posting your interesting insights.
Thanks for your comments, Cindi.
The philosophy course is roughly 99% attendance-optional. The professor takes 2 totally random attendance surveys. At the end of two lectures he’ll tell you to sign your name on a piece of paper and turn it in, which the TAs will note in the grade book. If your final grade for the semester is a few points away from the next-highest letter grade and you were present for the two random surveys, he may decide to bump you up a notch.
Most professors I’ve had have used this sort of tactic. Others will make attendance 10-20% of your final grade, and still others couldn’t give a shit less if you go to their class or not.
As long as the lectures are interesting I attend. Like my social theory course, for example. The professor makes me laugh at least several times through his lecture, properly utilizes powerpoint (for us visual/-auditory learners), and takes time to pose challenging questions to us and actually expects/listens to/engages in responses.
You can buy class notes going back to 2001 for this philosophy course, if that further elucidates my irritation.
OMG, Anne. I was totally in that godforsaken class a couple years ago. It was at 8:30 AM and boring as hell. I didn’t last two weeks — I withdrew, transferred to East Asian Literature in Translation (FLL 2-something) and never looked back.
That’s awful that you’re in a position where you feel like you have to retake it. (And for the record, if I was in your shoes, I’d absolutely suffer through it to scrub the old grade off my transcript.) Any chance it’s a smaller class taught by a different prof over the summer?