Although I am absolutely not qualified to comment on British culture in the past 400 years in the British Isles (I could comment on British culture outside the Isles), but I assume social immobility and exploitation for personal benefits was rife. If I lived in that Britain I wouldn’t have reached where I am now.
In my opinion most people try to fit their religion and culture with almost equal influence from both and different Churches around the world is an evidence. I have seen it being done in a religion like Islam and I am sure you have seen Middle Eastern Christians who behave similar to their Muslim neighbours.
I don’t know were a particular culture comes from. Possibly it is a mixture of past and present religions, history, rituals, legends, hearsays etc. all amalgamated.

There you are, Chris – could it be that you’ve dropped the gauntlet on yourself? I can think of several groups in society that might embrace such a study, and I can imagine such a book under the “required reading” section in college syllabuses everywhere.

But you would know better than I if that’s realistic.

Take care,

Terry

I have not visited your blog for some time and yet being back for a read it is still as refreshing as ever. This article really caught my attention. I see this very same trend in the university where I teach graphic design part time. My experience and education covers almost 3 decades and yet I see signs, as you describe, of the students trying, wanting, challenging to run the classes. This same idea reveals itself in the ‘rate the professor’ world and sites/pages that do that in a public manner. I am not afraid of criticism nor ideas to teach ‘better’, but If an educational system thinks that the student body can do it better than so be it. That is a class I would rather not be standing in front of.

One other thing kind of in the same ball park. How do you feel about all the Facebook interaction in regards to class assignments and critiquing samples prior to a class crit which the project is actually being be graded from? I find them interesting in that the students often do not remember that they are gleaning advice from other fellow students and not necessarily qualified individuals. It often creates a scenario where the mistakes that the advising students makes are repeated by the student that sought the advice. They may want to blame the advising student but I have told them that does not work. The work being discussed represents “their” decision to execute and present. I advise them of this thinking but really feel they are often prone to rely on their fellow classmates rather than the advise / thoughts of the instructor. After all they do have 24/7 access to their classmates via these methods. BTW all us instructors have institutional email accounts that are checked regularly and I do my best to respond, as a working professional, within a 24 hour period. That is my policy as my school does not have a specific policy in this regards.

Take care Chris, it’s good reading you again.

dugmad

I realise I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know the story. I suspect it was told to me before I could read. I guess it is easy for children to empathise with the naughty boy who wants to say sorry and come home to his father.