That being said, I did have a wonderful spa night with the PhD and a couple of the MFA ladies of the theatre department. I laughed, I cried, I ate way to many "cheese" balls.
I even got a wicked picture of Macy "tearing her face off." Awesome night.
So please forgive me faithful readers and professor for my absence last night. I was busy bonding with the ladies of LSU.
On a more academic note, I have been thinking about a question J.F asked in class the other day, "why are you getting your PhD." My first response is because of all of the fame and fortune and glory that comes with a PhD! ... but really. I feel like I have sprinkled answers to this question through out posts on this blog but maybe have never given an ultimate answer. Ultimately, (see what I did there?) I am getting my PhD so that I might be able to teach persons about ideas and phenomena that will impact the way they live the rest of their lives. This is the service that I will provide with my PhD and this is the service that humanities in general provides to college and university students.
After reading about the crisis in the humanities part 1 and part deux I think that what Stanley Fish has to say is actually a big relief. He basically argues that as professors of humanities courses we have to refuse to argue for our right to exist outside of a university context. We have to stop saying how humanities courses are good for students because they learn valuable skills that can be used after graduation. Yes we teach critical thinking skills but so do the science and engineerings. If a person wants to learn applicable skills then they should consider going to a vocational-technical school. If general learning, and acquiring knowledge about a topic from a professional in that field is what you want to do, then come on down to a university.
After ruminating on this yesterday I really think that while young people are expected to go to college, the opportunity and experience is wasted on them. I lump myself in with the opportunity lost group. If I felt about education in my undergrad classes the way I feel about it now, I know I would have worked harder, and absorbed more. I would have viewed it as less of a burden and more of a gift.
"Education is wasted on the young", someone, somewhere said one time. Young people think it is hard laborious work when in fact digging ditches is harder.
As a future humanities professor it is my job to inform and encourage the future young people to take advantage of their four or five years of schooling and learn as much as they can about as many things as they can. That is why I want to get my PhD.
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