From Shakespear to Shanely, Kant to Cosmo, or even Plato to Playboy people have began to wonder, and some not so recently, what really qualifies for that ever exclusive and prestigious club of "big L" literature. Is this blog literature? Is a myspace comment? what about a journal entry? Well, according to Barry Laga, these are all equal candidates in the race. Laga's theory is that for every past attempt to define literature there are documents out there that meet those requirements yet still are publicly held in a lower relm of the literart world.
Now although I do agree in part with this idea, I still hold as a personal belief that literature (excuse me, Literature) is somthing that goes beyond telling a pre-pubesent girl the ten secrets to drive men wild. "Big L" Literature is somthing that affects many people consitently on the same intellectual level, and although Cosmo may satisfy this as well I don't think it still matches the quality of let's say London's epic Call of the Wild.
One point that I think must be raised here is that thinking of literature in this reltivistic sense really leaves loopholes any time a solid, concrete, absolute definition is attempted. What I personally qualify as literature is not going consistantly going to match with the next person's list and I think that will apply no matter who sets down the laws of lit.
So, I guess on the whole I am really saying that although I think it is admirable to challenge the established definition with new ideas, I don't think I entirly understand the point since it seems to futile in the end. Then again, that's just my opinion and I could be entirly wrong.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Conditioning and Motovation
Are grades operant conditioners? If so, what are the ethical implications? Both valid questions to be discussed especially in what seems to be a generation that believes that there future is told in their report cards.
Firstly, though, before we can discuss weather or not grades fall under the category of operant conditoners, we must first know what they are. According to dictionary.com an operant is defined as: Of, relating to, or being a response that occurs spontaneously and is identified by its reinforcing or inhibiting effects. Thus if we look at grades being the response, it is logical to think that the reinforcing or inhibiting effect might be the behavior students exhibit to attain these grades. We students are taught almost from the instant we enter any educational institution that grades are the bottom line for us. These simple ink blotches on some specialized stationary determine the course of our lives from kindergarten through college, or so they want us to believe.
Rarely is it found, at least before college, one who dissents against this common knowledge of grades and actually values the knowledge they are endowing upon their students. These precious few do not just want to condition their pupils to keep pecking at every test life puts in their way in hopes that one more kernel of approval will be granted.
This is not even scratching the surface of what ethical implications this idea of grades as conditioners carries with it. Not only are many teachers across the contry failing to perform the most basic function of their job, to truly teach-that is, to pass on accumulated knowledge from the past unto the next genration in hopes of them building upon what has come before them-but molding socitial members of the future that are not truly prepared to deal with all the many challanges that life has to offer for which many times there is no grade gratification upon completion.
However, there is one way which we students who choose not to be another product of this educational assembly line can circumvent the system. This wepon in our metaphorical arsenol is to find our own personal motivation, that which drives us forward and pushes us to truly learn and aquire the knowlede which we seek. My personal motivators are my family and my dreams. As cliche as this may sound, my father was astrong influence in my life who constantly pushed me to do better and better until I consistantly did the best I could of my own accord. This mentality eventually led to me becoming aware of my own thirst for knowledge, and eventually to the realization that I perhaps one day would like to have a solid carrer in the arts, either in theater or film. I heard once long ago that if you have a job that you love doing, then you will never work a day in your life and took this proverb to heart. This motivates me to work hard now so as to relieve myself of unneeded fret and exertion in the future in a carrer I will possibly not even want.
Now in case the previous paragraphs were to much to read, here they are in summery. Are grades operant conditioners? yes. Our behavior is conditioned by being taught to continuously seek gratification from one form or another of grades, much like the famous psychologist and scientist B.F. Skinner and his pecking pigeons; the ethical implications of which are that we students are not truly being taught. Then finally I mentioned my personal motivation being simply that since I want the carrer of my choice I must make the right life choices now.
Firstly, though, before we can discuss weather or not grades fall under the category of operant conditoners, we must first know what they are. According to dictionary.com an operant is defined as: Of, relating to, or being a response that occurs spontaneously and is identified by its reinforcing or inhibiting effects. Thus if we look at grades being the response, it is logical to think that the reinforcing or inhibiting effect might be the behavior students exhibit to attain these grades. We students are taught almost from the instant we enter any educational institution that grades are the bottom line for us. These simple ink blotches on some specialized stationary determine the course of our lives from kindergarten through college, or so they want us to believe.
Rarely is it found, at least before college, one who dissents against this common knowledge of grades and actually values the knowledge they are endowing upon their students. These precious few do not just want to condition their pupils to keep pecking at every test life puts in their way in hopes that one more kernel of approval will be granted.
This is not even scratching the surface of what ethical implications this idea of grades as conditioners carries with it. Not only are many teachers across the contry failing to perform the most basic function of their job, to truly teach-that is, to pass on accumulated knowledge from the past unto the next genration in hopes of them building upon what has come before them-but molding socitial members of the future that are not truly prepared to deal with all the many challanges that life has to offer for which many times there is no grade gratification upon completion.
However, there is one way which we students who choose not to be another product of this educational assembly line can circumvent the system. This wepon in our metaphorical arsenol is to find our own personal motivation, that which drives us forward and pushes us to truly learn and aquire the knowlede which we seek. My personal motivators are my family and my dreams. As cliche as this may sound, my father was astrong influence in my life who constantly pushed me to do better and better until I consistantly did the best I could of my own accord. This mentality eventually led to me becoming aware of my own thirst for knowledge, and eventually to the realization that I perhaps one day would like to have a solid carrer in the arts, either in theater or film. I heard once long ago that if you have a job that you love doing, then you will never work a day in your life and took this proverb to heart. This motivates me to work hard now so as to relieve myself of unneeded fret and exertion in the future in a carrer I will possibly not even want.
Now in case the previous paragraphs were to much to read, here they are in summery. Are grades operant conditioners? yes. Our behavior is conditioned by being taught to continuously seek gratification from one form or another of grades, much like the famous psychologist and scientist B.F. Skinner and his pecking pigeons; the ethical implications of which are that we students are not truly being taught. Then finally I mentioned my personal motivation being simply that since I want the carrer of my choice I must make the right life choices now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
