Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 14:10:35 -0700
From: wilkesc-AT-pacificu.edu (Christopher Wilkes)
Subject: Re: teaching undergrads Bourdieu -Reply


>> But what is wrong with making them suffer thru texts?  Getting things, or
>> getting Bourdieu or producing a doubled reading may not be the best thing!
>> Having to really really struggle with a text is a wonderful thing and in
>> the productivist mentality of capitalist academia, why should we be "more
>> productive".  Forced to wrestle with texts, asking the questions that
>> Bourdieu's text doesn't want asked may be the modus operandi of his work.
>> confusion is a terrible thing to waste
>>
>
>It very much depends on the level of the student.
>Can one not provide a way in, BEFORE they are expected to 'struggle with
>the texts'.  Of course, struggling with a text can be very rewarding.  It
>can also, for some students, be alienating.
>Throwing them into the deep end is not always the best way to teach people
>how to swim.  Conversely, I'm not saying they should restrict themselves
>to the shallow end.  The latter is just a good place to start.
>
>Karl

There are a lot of ways to prepare people for the deep stuff. There are now
a series of introductory books which ease the reader in -Robbins, Harker
et. al., Jenkins, Calhoun, Fowler, as well as many interviews with Bourdieu
now widely available. After that it makes sense to use the empirical parts
of the texts before issuing forth into the pure world of theory. But the
goal should not be lost sight of, which is not to avoid the struggle with
the dragon.
>
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**************************************
Dr. Christopher Wilkes,
University Relations,
Adjunct Professor of Sociology,
Pacific University, 2043 College Way,
Forest Grove, Oregon, 97116
Telephone       1-503-359-2841
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Email             wilkesc-AT-pacificu.edu
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