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Maddie Wayland wrote a new blog post “In the Defense of Facts” and Lyric Journalism in the group Fact vs. Nonfiction: 7 years, 1 month ago
The term “lyric journalism” is a rather fresh term in the world of creative non-fiction, and like other subgenres, carries with it controversy regarding what comprises “fact” and “fiction.” Creator of the term, P […]
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Maddie Wayland joined the group Fact vs. Nonfiction 7 years, 1 month ago
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Maddie Wayland wrote a new post on the site Reader and Text 9 years, 6 months ago
While reading chapter two of Moran’s Interdisciplinarity, the following passage caught my eye:
“He {Richard Hoggart} warns against the ‘hard-nosed unimaginativeness’ of a social science that claims to be […]
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Maddie Wayland commented on the post, Intertextuality Between Classes, on the site Reader and Text 9 years, 6 months ago
Hi Sarah! The story was “Ursus Californicus” 🙂
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Maddie Wayland wrote a new post on the site Reader and Text 9 years, 6 months ago
I got a little too excited doing homework a few days ago.
In my creative non-fiction workshop, we are currently spending time reading and critiquing each others’ pieces, similar to the process we used in our […]
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Maddie Wayland wrote a new post on the site Reader and Text 9 years, 7 months ago
I have come to dread the small talk that comes with meeting new people, simply because I know that conversation will play out something like this:
Stranger: “What is your major?”
Me: “I’m actually a double major, English and biochemistry.”
Cue contorted facial expression, sometimes a “whoa” and a prying, “How do you plan on connecting those? You know, they’re pretty different.”
(Yes, I do know that.)
I have come to almost be ashamed of my majors, knowing that everyone I meet will immediately think, What is she doing? Is she crazy? She obviously has no plan for her life.
And I guess that’s partly true. I’m not really sure what I want to do for a career. I came in my freshman year with a plan to major solely in biochemistry, heading down the road of medical research, particularly in the area of studying drugs and treatments for pediatric brain tumors and the cause of such tumors. However, a first semester filled with purely science and math classes began to drive me crazy. I needed the balance that English gave—something that had been a passion for my whole life, something that allowed me to express myself, something that brought some fluidity among all the rigidity associated with my science classes. I had always written creative pieces, from the time I was a kid, and also enjoyed journalism, taking the position of copy editor in my high school’s nationally-ranking yearbook.
Chapter five of Moran’s Interdisciplinarity, entitled “Science, Space, and Nature,” sparked my attention, as it showed the interdisciplinary side of science, something I have been told doesn’t really exist. I agree with Snow, who pointed out that the British education system “[forced] pupils to specialize too early” (Moran, 135). To me, there is no problem with having two very different interests and pursuing them both at this point in my life. Although creative writing and biochemistry may not lend themselves to one specific career that combines them both, English is certainly present in biology in the form of more technical writing of reports, etc. If a scientist cannot adequately present his or her ideas and findings, it is as if the findings don’t exist–science is based on interactions between scientists, who build off of and modify each others’ ideas. Therefore, scientists cannot isolate themselves from each other, nor from other disciplines like English. There is also biology in English. Biology allows me to understand how the world works and why certain phenomenons exist, and that pushes me to be a better writer. It opens me up to things I had never considered before and helps me to formulate opinions, ideas, and questions about the world–something that translates into more inquisitive and creative writing.
I, and other scholars, need and can benefit from the balance, the interdisciplinarity, between science and English. As Snow describes, “The clashing point of two subjects, two disciplines, two cultures–of two galaxies, so far as that goes–ought to produce creative changes” (Moran, 135).
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Maddie Wayland wrote a new post on the site Reader and Text 9 years, 7 months ago
di·ver·si·ty noun də-ˈvər-sə-tē, dī-
The quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online)
Contemporarily, the concept of diversity seems to be a buzzword. Although usually referring to diversity of race, culture, religion, etc., it is also used to refer to diversity of ideas or viewpoints. While reading chapter one of Moran’s “Interdisciplinarity,” I came across a small segment that caught my attention, causing me to re-read and re-read and really chew on what Moran was arguing. It stuck with me, as this is a topic that I feel very passionate about.
Moran references the work of Immanuel Kant, titled The Conflict of the Faculties, and further, Jacques Derrida’s response to Kant’s assertions. Kant looks at the discipline of philosophy, claiming that it should be “free of the influence of government and other material concerns” (Moran 32). He imagines an almost Utopian version of the university, which exists in essentially its own neutral bubble, taking no stance on worldly subjects. As Derrida then argues, Kant’s view is unrealistic, “due simply to the fact that the university is founded” (Moran 32). A pure university free of corruption would be ideal, but because a university is founded on a set of principles and values, it inherently develops a position on world topics. That position then leaks into the university’s teachings, sometimes forcing certain viewpoints upon students.
While I disagree that Kant’s assertions of a neutral university are feasible, I agree that, in theory, this is how a university should function (but, maybe not in as extreme a manner as Kant is suggesting). It may be impossible for a university to be completely void of an opinion regarding political or social issues, but it is possible for each class, professor, and student to be introduced to all sides of an argument or topic. This allows for students to formulate informed opinions for themselves instead of uninformed opinions that are skewed and one-sided.
It is important to gather news from multiple sources in order to act as an informed citizen, and this concept flows over into academia, too. But is it really possible to reach neutrality? According to a study, 72 % of American university professors are liberal and 15 % are conservative (Kurtz, Washington Post Online). However, I believe it is possible to teach from all sides, no matter where the professor’s views fall on the political spectrum. The key is for the professors to make an honest effort to present all sides of any situation, use varying sources for information, and allow students to develop their own thoughts. If professors realize that no opinion is bad, that some students may think differently than they do, and that information presentation and grading of work should be done in a neutral way, we may reach a day where the university hovers near Kant’s ideals.
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Maddie Wayland joined the group Reader and Text 9 years, 7 months ago
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Maddie Wayland became a registered member 9 years, 7 months ago