{"id":139,"date":"2016-01-15T18:32:44","date_gmt":"2016-01-15T18:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/?p=139"},"modified":"2016-01-15T18:32:44","modified_gmt":"2016-01-15T18:32:44","slug":"this-semester-is-a-reality-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/this-semester-is-a-reality-check\/","title":{"rendered":"This semester is a reality check…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_20160115_125959882<\/a><\/p>\n

Academia is often referred to as the \u201cIvory Tower\u201d. When I first heard this metaphor, I had a beautiful image in mind of a delicate, cream-coloured fairy-tale tower on a green hill, against a blue afternoon sky. I juxtaposed this image against a reading of Edmund Spenser\u2019s Faerie Queene<\/em>. In book two, the heroes Guyon, Palmer, and Arthur are lead by a woman, Alma, into a tower. In the tower is a library. There are also three people there: Eumnestes (good memory), Phantastes (imagination or foresight), and Judgement.<\/p>\n

The characters and library are an allegorical commentary. They explore how the mind works to research, remember, and to imagine the future. In that tower, Arthur reads a history of England, which helps him on his quest. Externally, I made links between other texts, some historical, some fictional, and had a constructed view of English literature, history, and fantasy that helped me to make sense of the world \u2013 all returning to that image of the hero reading a book in a tower. That\u2019s been part of my academic path.<\/p>\n

So imagine my bemusement when the Ivory Tower was used as a negative metaphor. I didn\u2019t immediately understand. But the image of academia as an ivory tower, disconnected from the real world, has a foundation in reality. This is why I say this semester is a reality check. I\u2019m looking critically at the institution from inside<\/em> the tower. And it\u2019s a much needed perspective for graduates; it\u2019s healthy to be aware of the reality of academia. After all, I\u2019ve dedicated most of my adult life to it. That\u2019s where I think my department is doing a great job of being honest, and, like Phantastes, supporting the foresight we\u2019ll need to have as we continue our academic quests.<\/p>\n

This semester, I\u2019m taking a course called \u201cPublic Intellectuals in Canada\u201d with Dr. Joel Deshaye. In this course, we\u2019ll be questioning the place that intellectuals and academics have outside<\/em> the Ivory Tower. We\u2019re encouraged to challenge the ideas we have and redefine old ideas to be vibrant and connected within the real community. For me, this is how courses should be focused: moving beyond discourse to action and involvement.<\/p>\n

I have another course that\u2019s focused on narratology and comics with Dr. Nancy Pedri. Popular culture is a massive force that has just begun to be serious. That\u2019s an important shift making our tower open to the new ideas and alternative histories that inform our imaginations, and so, our possible futures. I\u2019m also impressed that Dr. Pedri has taken the time to design the syllabus with transferable skills in mind, so we\u2019re getting valuable methods that will help us in the real world. We\u2019re working on one piece of writing over the course of the term to be (hopefully) submitted for publication, as well. This is a vital skill that isn\u2019t always explicitly taught. I\u2019m very impressed that it\u2019s built into the course.<\/p>\n

My last course is creative, with esteemed local poet Mary Dalton. Even though I don\u2019t have a creative focus, Memorial\u2019s Master\u2019s program allows students to explore both creative and academic tracks. Not many programs have this level of flexibility, and this was a big factor for me choosing this program over others.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m lucky to have the opportunity to attend a series of sessions on career development, as well. I went to Dr. Danine Farquharson with the germ of an idea in my head to have an English department-specific workshop with Julie Bowering, who works at MUN\u2019s Career Development Centre. Dr. Farquharson was receptive and supportive, and has put together a whole series for our department to ensure student success.<\/p>\n

So, while the image of the Ivory Tower might be negative, there\u2019s a better allegory being built here, one that looks critically at our roles in the world and in the community. Spenser\u2019s tower has had a lasting impact on the way I view the Ivory Tower, and I like to think I\u2019m meeting good Judgement here at MUN. Call me an optimist, but I think that honest valuation of the role of academia is exactly what a program needs, and I\u2019m proud that MUN\u2019s English Department is doing it.<\/p>\n

~Meghan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Academia is often referred to as the \u201cIvory Tower\u201d. When I first heard this metaphor, I had a beautiful image in mind of a delicate, cream-coloured fairy-tale tower on a green hill, against a blue afternoon sky. I juxtaposed this image against a reading of Edmund Spenser\u2019s Faerie Queene. In book two, the heroes Guyon, … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-meghan-loch","4":"post-139","6":"format-standard","7":"category-student-blog"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142,"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions\/142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.mun.ca\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}