In the interest of full disclosure (aka transparency), I thought you all might like to read something I wrote for Hamilton's website. It pertains to the educational goals of the college, and I use our class as a model. (Plus, I open with a quote from one of you!)
I'd love to hear your comments (hint hint).
This post made me reflect on the first day of class, and how much my thinking and interpretation level has progressed in the last three weeks alone. You discuss the opening day of class; how you blend in for the first five minutes, and then proceed to present us with a somewhat false identity. Like my classmates, I was drawn in by your fantastic adventures, impressed by all of the amazing things you had seen and done, and felt somewhat ashamed of how little I had accomplished. Now after the shock of being so easily manipulated, as I read texts I immediately begin to question how much can be taken at face value. I find myself reading articles searching for bias, or historical influences that shape the text. I can no longer simply read my physics textbook; instead I question to what level the information presented is true. For example, equations may not present full truths as they leave out many derivations or theorems. However, as in every other text there is reason for this: the mathematical level of certain derivations may not be appropriate for the level of the textbook, so the truth becomes partially obstructed. Through this class I have come to understand that there is always a reason for the amount of truth presented; to guide someone down a certain path, or to make a specific point. This is present not only in texts, but in the media, public relations, and any interaction we may have. On the first day of class, we were led down a path you constructed to understand the organization, goals, and expectations of the class. Now that I understand how truth can be hidden, I of course analyzed the level of truth in your article on Hamilton’s website. I am sure there is bias within it, but I imagine that the path you want to lead the reader down in this case is far more truthful than the doctored biography you presented us on the first day.
ReplyDeleteI feel that, between your own description of this class and the students description, this synopses of Truth, Lies and Literature does a better job at explaining the class then I have done trying to explain it to fellow students and relatives. It perfectly shows the relationship between how we view the class and how you lay it out for us. You blatantly state that you are trying to manipulate us to think as you do and to view these texts as you do. I think this manipulation is clear in the students quote, for it is shown that they truly take what is said in this class as fact or as the advancement of their own knowledge. Yet what we learn isn't necessarily an advancement of our own knowledge of things, but rather it is an advancement based on how you think it should be seen.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with your statement about our attempt to understand how what we read (or how we are taught) effects how we see and understand life. Without this understanding, we can easily be thrown into lies that shape our understanding of things into what other want us to believe. I believe, based on my own views that this is very prevalent in the fact that many people get their views from the bias majority that controls TV news and accept these views as truths, without understanding the manipulation that occurs.
Lastly, I find it unbelievable the amount of transparency that is involved in this class. By this I am talking about you clearly stating that these are your views and that you will try and manipulate us toward agreeing with those views. It was this transparency that lead me toward taking this class. The class description, one of which started off completely contradicting my own political views, was one that encouraged me to take this class with the understanding that not everything would be viewed the same by everyone, but rather that it would spark intellectual arguments and discussions. Thanks.