[693] in Depressing_Thoughts
The MIT Writing Requirement and other foul-smelling substances
capsalad@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (capsalad@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Sat Dec 17 00:32:31 1988
Hrmph. Looks like the notion of "depressing thoughts" has become
somewhat more open-ended these days. Good. If the MIT Writing Requirement,
depressing or no, has become by tacit agreement a legitimate "topique de
flame", then far be it from me to praise or defend in in this meeting...
Part I: The Harsh Statement
The MIT Writing Requirement is exceptionally ill-conceived, poorly
implemented, and generally a real bite in the shorts. There is, I think,
not much point in forcing the discipline of writing down people's throats
against their will; many rebel and vomit it back up as soon as they can
get away with it. The only way to REALLY improve the general quality of
student writing at MIT (and the strength of people's "scientific ethics"
as well, but that's a whole can o' worms unto itself) is to cause people to
WANT to learn how to write better. If you don't wanna, you're not gonna,
and they can't make you. Nyeah nyeah nyeah. Phbtphbtphbt!
Part II: The Cube Root of 2744
14.
Part III: The Two Phases of Silliness
The stated necessity for Phase I is based in part upon the growing
proportion of international students at MIT; about fifteen percent of the
Class of '92, I've been told, speaks English as their second (or third)
language. Assuming that about half of these people have a LOT of trouble
with spoken, not to mention written, English (which is a pretty conservative
estimate), that means that approximately 80 people per class have really
got the deck stacked against them - perhaps 330 undergraduates in all.
The percentage of international graduate students is considerably higher;
at a guess, there are perhaps 800 of them who would barely manage Phase I,
let alone Phase II. This isn't particularly surprising either; we've all
had incomprehensible recitation instructors or TA's: I had a particularly
rotten experience with an assistant professor who conducted my 18.03
recitation in Chinese. On complaining to the math department, I was told
(this should sound familiar), "Why don't you switch to another section?"
Har har har har har. What a funny joke. Har har har har.
The reason MIT developed all this is a typical bit of overengineered
bureaucracy: involuntary "learning" via the "pound and smash" technique.
Aargh. I used to work for people who thought that way. The reasoning I had
to cope with was on a par with "if one woman can have a baby in nine months,
then nine women can do it in one month", etc. MIT is a huge, bloated
bureaucracy, and, like most such organizations, is somewhat top-heavy.
The administrators are pretty far removed from the tough, gritty reality
we all experience to some degree...
Phase I shouldn't exist in its present avatar; Phase II shouldn't exist
at all. Just for fun, I might as well add that I passed both of them
on the first try, and the Writing Department complimented me on the
awesome wonderfulness of my paper, blah blah blah.
I didn't think it was all that great, but, well, hey. I wasn't about
to argue with that band of clowns; wouldn't get near it now.
If anybody's really unhappy at the idea of having to take 21.732 or
something equally dull, perhaps MIT will award Phase I credit for something
fun like 21.755 with Uncle Steve Strang. He's a dude with the words, he is.
Part IV: Logging Out Forever
Fat chance.
Bleah.
