A couple weeks back most of us shut down for a well deserved R and R summer session. The blog itself has been rather quiet as well. In the midst of my own first break since almost two years, I’ve decided to return briefly to this blog to promote the greatest opportunity one has during the course of your studies at Utrecht University: the study abroad program (see the website Bureau Buitenland)

In a few weeks time I’m going to head off to the University of California – San Diego to study there for a semester as part of the MA. During my BA Communication Studies I had to good fortune of exchanging to the University of Wisconsin – Madison. The credits I received were directed at the BA diploma I ended up getting from the UU. It serviced the requirement of the “profilering ruimte” and I received the credits by an application process through the Board of Examiners. It’s actually not as much hassle as it sounds. If you have a good idea of what courses you are going to be taking, you can apply beforehand for permission to guarantee that all credits are rewarded, saves stressing out when you get back.

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The discussions surrounding CIW have focused on the curriculum, touched on the “zesje cultuur” and concerned itself with the relatively unmotivated student attitude. But little time has been spent questioning the competency of professors as educators. Odd because, to a great extent, students in their “attitude” and general performance reflect the capacities of their educators.

During a conversation with a course coordinator I grew increasingly fed up with his complaining about students, especially since he was a mediocre/lousy teacher. I couldn’t help but ask at a certain stage: do you even enjoy teaching? It caught him off guard and it took him a while to respond. The fact that it took him so long fueled my hypothesis formulated almost six years ago that has long persisted the test of time: with a few exceptions, researchers don’t like teaching! (And this is mainly because it “cheats” them out of research time). [Lees verder →]

A couple of weeks back I expressed that a greater awareness of averages might counter the “zesjescultuur” that dominants Dutch schools/universities. This afternoon I received an e-mail from “Balie” with the following:

“Per september 2007 is het Grade Point Average (GPA) ingevoerd aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Het GPA is het gemiddelde tentamencijfer, gewogen naar studiepunten, uitgedrukt in een vooral in de Angelsaksische wereld gebruikte waarde om de academische prestaties van een student weer te geven. Het GPA geldt als graadmeter om te bepalen hoe succesvol een student zijn/ haar studie heeft doorlopen. In Angelsaksische landen speelt het GPA dan ook een belangrijke rol bij onder meer: toelatingsprocedures voor masterprogramma’s, het verkrijgen van een promotieplaats of een studiebeurs en bij sollicitaties. Ook in Nederland wordt inmiddels hier en daar bij universitaire toelatingsprocedures en in sollicitatieprocedures naar het GPA gevraagd.” [Lees verder →]

My frustration with a strong isolationist attitude within the now fragmented field of media studies has met new heights. The division between film and television on the one hand and new media on the naturally evolved through media transitions. However, Frank Kessler rhetorically put forward during the round table at What’s Cooking:SE?! on April 11th, exposing changing tendencies, which of these two camps should be responsible for researching YouTube films?

And thus the partitioning of the two makes even less sense at this stage. I certainly do not blame it for offering students two media tracks (if we leave the research oriented MA’s aside): Film and Television as well as a New Media Studies. The department with its curriculum works as a rear-view mirror in that respect which is the least of our problems. [Lees verder →]