Inspired by my dear college mate and friend Rachel Lazar, to look around myself in this amazing place and realize the great extra benefits we have by studying in that superior institution. Not only you have access to one of the best academic resources in the world, but literally almost every article you read, every academic research that has be done, you realize that we are somehow in the place that is the first source of it. Sometimes it is when you realize that the textbooks you are using for a class was written by the professor himself, or another former or current faculty member. Sometimes you are studying history or something similar, and your instructor will just randomly mention that this or this historic person is in one way or another affiliated with our very own school. We feel that we are not just studying; we are the studies, we are not just learning history; we are part of the history. For a writing class we had an assignment from Edward Said, one of the most distinguished academic thinkers, and writer of several works regarding what academia is, and what universities are made for. As well as a late fighter for the rights of the Arab people that lived in whats modern day Israel and Palestine. Now, although I might not agree to everything he writes and said, the article (linked below) that we read was a great piece on the so controversial academic freedom issue, in the West and in the rest of the world. It wouldnt be wrong to call it a philosophical article, especially when I am reading it at the same time as I am studying Western philosophy, it was really interesting how he summarizes (at least in my opinion) the Greek mythology of Plato and Aristotle - that the Western philosophy is based on - by inexplicity suggesting that some of the [wrong - according to his thesis] views regarding what education is today, is a direct reflection of their doctrine. In class today as we were discussing the article, and Edward himself, my instructor played the first 5 minutes of this documentary. First it was interesting to realize that we was a Columbia professor, something that I was not aware of while reading it. That wasnt news at all, we keep on having that, getting fascinated by academic work and then realizing that the authors are all around us. Then at minute 3:00 where he mentions that his office was raided, and firebombed, My instructor says: Oh by the way, this office is actually right above us.... Now that was chilly, and worth a Facebook post!!! I gotta admit I love the extra curriculars - specially the academic ones - here. The article: jstor.org/stable/303599 youtu.be/35MNSW2UnlE?t=2m50s
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 03:30:49 +0000
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