The canon is perpetuated in the ivory tower; it is intended to bring together continuities of intellectual and cultural history. We can, in this privileged position, pull at the fraying ends of these continuities, unraveling them for the oppressive constructions they are. We can then recreate histories and teach more egalitarian and liberated histories. It is the unique power of the academy—and the power inherent in critical theory.
What tremendous power the canon has, however, can be tapped and redirected towards lessening the pain of marginalized persons through the teaching and empowering of their narratives. If colonialism is the wound, then Directed Studies is the knife that twists in it. We must remove the knife, if we are to allow marginalized peoples to heal.
To sign this letter click here. See the signatories and the original post on Medium here. November 13, To…. Skip to content by Sohum Pal In the spring of my senior year of high school, I received an invitation to join the Directed Studies program for my freshman year at Yale.
You might like The completion of the first term only of an introductory modern language earns credit whether or not a subsequent term of that language is completed. Neither instructors nor departments have the authority to make an exception to this rule. Normal Program of Study A student in Yale College normally takes four or five term courses, or their equivalent, for each of eight terms.
A student enrolled for three course credits may withdraw from one course credit between midterm and the first day of the reading period, receiving the neutral designation W Withdrew in that course. Similarly, a student enrolled for four or more course credits may withdraw from one or more courses as described above, but at no time may any student carry a schedule of courses that will earn fewer than two course credits and a W in a term.
This said, I have absolutely no regrets about participating in Directed Studies. Taking Directed Studies is kind of like choosing to be forced into academic exploration; the heavy workload comes with legendary and accessible professors, a smaller community of first years within Yale, and a crash course in reading-and writing-heavy college courses. I can think of no better way to prepare myself for the rest of my Yale education than by participating in a program that requires hundreds of pages of reading and weekly essays; I can go into my sophomore year feeling confident about where I am as a student and with the tools I need to handle future challenges.
Plus, DS students build a pretty impressive library by the end of the year. For all its failings, I would not trade my time in DS for anything; I think I have become a stronger thinker, a clearer writer, a more intellectually curious student, and a better person.
Me and some of my Historical and Political Thought books just before the final exam. Skip to main content. Detailing Directed Studies. Concerned that the broad foundation of a traditional Yale education would be lost, a group of faculty and alumni proposed in what became Directed Studies. Intended from the start to be an option for a self-selected subset of Yale undergraduates, DS was initially a two-year program that included Economics, Natural Sciences, and Art and Music History.
The success of the experiment was a surprise, as witnessed by articles published in the New York Times and elsewhere, and prominent Yale intellectuals such as Hannah Gray taught in and were vocal advocates for the program and the kind of education it offered.
0コメント