Why can't Professors teach their students how to read!?
Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:12 pm
Ok, searching for one of Eomer's Pelennor quotes on Google, I recieved a college assignment where students are reading The Battle of The Pelennor Fields. Reading the assignment, I was not... pleased. A college professor should be able to tell the difference between the words "sister-daughter" and "sister-son" (niece and nephew) and "daughter" and "son". Nope. Can they tell the difference between Eomund and Theoden? No way.
With a normal LOTR reader, I'd give them the benifit of the doubt. Lots of people skim. I'd be ticked off, yes, but they have an excuse. (I myself thought Eowyn was Theoden's daughter on first reading... I was skimming o.O *supreme blush*) However, a literature professor ought to know better!
Yeah, I'm kind of going nuts over a little thing- but I think Eomer and Eowyn would be acting very differently if they had a living parent up to that point. (Eomund and Theodwyn died when Eowyn was 7 and Eomer was 11, if you're wondering.)
Anyone agree with me? Anyone think I'm out of my mind? (Don't blame you if you do.)
With a normal LOTR reader, I'd give them the benifit of the doubt. Lots of people skim. I'd be ticked off, yes, but they have an excuse. (I myself thought Eowyn was Theoden's daughter on first reading... I was skimming o.O *supreme blush*) However, a literature professor ought to know better!
Yeah, I'm kind of going nuts over a little thing- but I think Eomer and Eowyn would be acting very differently if they had a living parent up to that point. (Eomund and Theodwyn died when Eowyn was 7 and Eomer was 11, if you're wondering.)
Anyone agree with me? Anyone think I'm out of my mind? (Don't blame you if you do.)
Tue Aug 31, 2004 4:23 am
I totally agree with you! That's pretty sad. It's pretty obvious that Sister-Daughter is neice... at least to me and you. And if I don't get it at first, I work it out on my own...
I don't exactly skim... I just read fast. I read slow enough that I catch quite a few errors, and that's fine for me.
I don't exactly skim... I just read fast. I read slow enough that I catch quite a few errors, and that's fine for me.
Tue Aug 31, 2004 7:52 am
*coughs* I've rung the appropriate authorities and some nice men will be around with a comfy special jacket for you any moment 
In all seriousness, its really not that big of a issue, at least not to me.
In all seriousness, its really not that big of a issue, at least not to me.
Tue Aug 31, 2004 7:41 pm
it's understandable to not get it if you're just reading it, but if you're writing a report on something you should try and make sure that the details are right.
Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:15 pm
'Why can't Professors teach their students how to read!?'
Simple. Because they don't have to bother.
Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:47 pm
Professor as in college? The students should know how to read by then. Anyway, sister-daughter and sister-son's meanings seem pretty obvious to begin with.......a professor should be able to figure it out.
Wed Sep 01, 2004 12:51 am
Sorry for confusion. I meant "Why can't professors learn how to read' but the song title parody was too obvious. But telling their students the wrong answer is not good.
Wed Sep 01, 2004 1:07 am
I really hope that they don't teach their students how to read. I remember grade 10 english, some people in my academic class really suck at ready which is pathertic to say the least. Anyways my teacher always had them read the big parts when we read stuff outload together as a class, so that they could learn and get better. Now I understand how as a teacher they would want to do that, but god make them do it on their own time! Its so annoying I just wanted to scream!
Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:07 am
Is the issue we're discussing the fact that a professor has "marked" these reports and has skipped over or missed, what could be deemed a slightly more important point in a report than if you'd just been reading it?
I suppose as I haven't actually seen these assignments and seen the gravity of the mistakes that have been made I can't really make an informed argument but I suppose the only argument I'll give on the side of the professors is that often they have only a short span of time (pressure from students, having to get things back within a reasonable time and having other commitments) and they have 100s of reports/essay/assignments to read that it wouldn't suprise me if a great deal of them are being marked by a quick glance-over and in the early hours of the morning - these would be circumstances where it comes as no suprise the person would miss things.
Other than that, considering the students are studying the text (and the mere fact that they are studying a text such as this means they should be paying attention to detail in the language) they should be the ones not making the mistakes in the first place, assuming they're English Literature students or something they are, IMHO, not doing their work properly in making mistakes like this.
I suppose as I haven't actually seen these assignments and seen the gravity of the mistakes that have been made I can't really make an informed argument but I suppose the only argument I'll give on the side of the professors is that often they have only a short span of time (pressure from students, having to get things back within a reasonable time and having other commitments) and they have 100s of reports/essay/assignments to read that it wouldn't suprise me if a great deal of them are being marked by a quick glance-over and in the early hours of the morning - these would be circumstances where it comes as no suprise the person would miss things.
Other than that, considering the students are studying the text (and the mere fact that they are studying a text such as this means they should be paying attention to detail in the language) they should be the ones not making the mistakes in the first place, assuming they're English Literature students or something they are, IMHO, not doing their work properly in making mistakes like this.
Wed Sep 22, 2004 3:11 pm
The family trees in Lord of the Rings are very complex, I can't blame people for getting it wrong at times.
Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:20 pm
Do you know what class the paper was written for?
If the class was specifically about Tolkien literature (I believe some colleges actually offer classes on Sindarin) then perhaps I can understand the concern. But if it were a regular english/literature class I hardly think that the students are getting gypped out of their education.
If the class was specifically about Tolkien literature (I believe some colleges actually offer classes on Sindarin) then perhaps I can understand the concern. But if it were a regular english/literature class I hardly think that the students are getting gypped out of their education.
Wed Sep 22, 2004 8:17 pm
why not?
as my maths tutor said today, "i dont wanna teach you, you dont wanna listen so heres the book, do pages 143-145"
its not their responsibility, but bearing in mind the somtimes mind numbing style tolkien used its fair enough.
still, justice was probably had as they inevitably got a bad mark.
as my maths tutor said today, "i dont wanna teach you, you dont wanna listen so heres the book, do pages 143-145"
its not their responsibility, but bearing in mind the somtimes mind numbing style tolkien used its fair enough.
still, justice was probably had as they inevitably got a bad mark.
Wed Oct 06, 2004 2:06 am
'Why can't Professors teach their students how to read!?'
Well, that...and...I would hope by the time students are in college and HAVE professors...they would already know how to read. Not a profs job to teach a student how to read.
Also, if it was just an assignment for a regular lit class (i.e. read any novel and write a paper about....), the prof may not have known the mistakes.
Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:03 am
If they actually read the books, I wonder if they noticed that most versions have the family tree of the important characters involved? But if their version didn’t, people can get confused easily since it is a long book. The sister-son thing was pretty obvious, but you’ld be surprised *or maybe not* by the amount of people who miss the outstandingly obvious.
And I hate it when teachers make the bad readers read. Since I’m a fast reader, I generally finish a passage when the others are halfway sight reading. It’s a side affect of reading so much. And the people I know who aren’t strong readers, resent being picked out all the time, even if it’s “for their own good”.
And I hate it when teachers make the bad readers read. Since I’m a fast reader, I generally finish a passage when the others are halfway sight reading. It’s a side affect of reading so much. And the people I know who aren’t strong readers, resent being picked out all the time, even if it’s “for their own good”.
Tue Nov 16, 2004 1:48 pm
Ok, sorry for the confusion. The topic title really doesn't have anything to do with anything, it's just a parody of "Why can't the English teach their childeren how to speak".
And this thing was written by a professor, not a student... It loses the point of the assignment if the questions have incorrect information, y'know? Considering you can pick up the whole "uncle" thing from the movies, an English professor with a Phd should be able to figure it out from the books...
And this thing was written by a professor, not a student... It loses the point of the assignment if the questions have incorrect information, y'know? Considering you can pick up the whole "uncle" thing from the movies, an English professor with a Phd should be able to figure it out from the books...