A new post for a new class for a new year

Its been a very very long time since i updated this blog. In fact the last time I wrote anything was when I first began teaching upon my return after a long sojourn overseas. One of the main reasons why I have decided to to take up writing again is because I wanted to go along with a journal writing project I have initiated with students in a particularly interesting class on Ethics.

It was only too long ago that I too kept a journal when I took a class on ethics. My recollection of that one particular class is as hazy as the sands of time but I do remember my time at my alma mater as being the best times of my life. Life at this particular university is a far cry from where I am now. It had (and still has) a very strict and disciplinarian air about and almost everyone knew where they stood in the grander scheme of things within the university. In fact many consider us to be a throwback to older days when universities, much like the one I am in now, are 'progressing' ahead instead.

And that's what worries me. For the most part universities nowadays place a very heavy emphasis on 'speed'. If anything is an indicator of progress and development, its 'speed'. Students are expected to take on more classes and courses, semesters become trimesters and as such are rushed out to quickly take their place amongst their peers to contribute to the 'nation's development'. But what is the consequence of this? Students are becoming increasing enmeshed in a system which promotes quick succession of tests culminating in 'finals'. I have often seen how competitive students have become, concentrating instead on exams rather than absorbing the contents of the class.

The class becomes a 'feeding ground' rather than a place where ideas are exchanged and introspection and free thought encouraged. We are concerned more with 'Arts of War' rather than thinking and deliberating about what it means to be virtuous and to have lived the good contemplative life.

In my time as a student ethics, we were arranged in a circle with the instructor sitting in the centre. As the class began we had to engage with both the reading assigned, the instructor and also our fellow students. We would never dare to say that we had not read the assignment as we would be embarrassed as that would be an indication of the fact that we were lazy. As a result all of us would be poring over the reading, absorbing and of course engaging with it, as is required of us. Things in my institution are markedly different. Here power point notes are king. Readings are instead relegated to the nether realms becoming all but piles of paper to be thrown once the recycling truck comes along. Why so?

Learning and the values in which surround it have certainly changed since my days. The internet brings the world to us in a matter of seconds, nay...nanoseconds. Information now comes to us at the speed of thought. And this too has brought monumental changes to the way we think about a lot of things. Faster and faster we go, progressing into a future saturated with technology which eases communication but at what expense?

Do we often stop to think about the consequences? Do we often thing about the changes in which super-technology has brought along with it? How does technology make us think about fundamental concepts of such as ethics? Does speed, technology and progress help us think more deeply about the very questions which make us human? Does technology help us deliberate or think more thoroughly about the human condition?

In the past, where i had received my education, my instructors often told us how important it was to have a sense of right or wrong. It doesn't matter what makes up right or wrong, but it mattered that you believed in the concepts of right or wrong. The most important thing of all is that you have beliefs, principles and that you have what we refer to as a moral compass.

During my time as a student, it was important that we lived according to an Honor Code which reads, "A Cadet will lie, cheat, steal nor tolerate those who do." That was the fundamental creed in which we had to follow. Those who broke the Honor Code stood to be ostracised by others within our small community or even expelled. Unfortunately such is not the case in many of our universities here. Ethics has been reduced to such a level in that it serves only to fill the 'elective' requirements of a syllabus rather than being a university wide course open to all.

Ethics at its very essence is not something which tells you what to do or what it right or wrong but rather something which compels you to have a sense of right or wrong, and to hold steadfast to your beliefs. It makes you think deeply about the values and cultures we have grown up in. It makes us critically assess the ideas which hold us in their grip everyday.

This morning a student posed a brilliant question. Do we need religion to be ethical? Well religion certainly has many positive moral values but as a system of beliefs in itself, it is also open to abuse. In the wrong hands religion can become self-serving and divisive. So is it wrong to have a mind of your own? No it is absolutely correct to have your own thinking or principles about certain issues. The most important thing is for you to have your own moral compass, your own conscience and of course the courage to be your own person.

On the other hand I was also equally disturbed by how disengaged our students are from the larger scheme of things. 'Politics is dirty.' 'Politics is divisive and dangerous.' 'Politics is someone else's problem and it is not mine because I can't change anything anyways.' Why is this so? Why do students themselves believe that they need to be 'guided'? Students themselves are part of the greater society and often have much in which they can contribute too.

Thus they cannot afford to be disengaged. If anything with the relative financial and societal independence they enjoy, their university years are perhaps the best years for them to explore and engage in ideas. So this leads me back to the question; why the reticence? why the feeling of disengagement? what do they really believe in? Where is their moral compass?

Education in comparison

A diligent student of mine sent me a very interesting article to read one day. And to tell you the truth, it got me thinking a great deal about the nature of higher education in Malaysia and its place in the lives of those it would effect most; the young. The article sent to me was short and was about careers in American academe. It introduces the reader to those seeking academic careers and how their choice of universities for post graduate training will ultimately affect their prospects in future careers. Those coming from elite institutions will chart the course of their careers through the pursuit of research, hoping one day to reach the pearly gates of fame and fortune. This group of people will naturally gravitate towards the better (read: more well funded) all rounded universities which not only offer better funding for research but who also are hosts to some of the best students in the world. Those not so lucky wannabe academics who don’t come from such august institutions will probably have to resign themselves to less well known and more ‘pluralist’ and ‘communitarian’ institutions which place more emphasis on teaching than on actual research. The author of the article continues to say that perhaps the academics in the latter category will be less likely to face ‘anomie’ as they have come to the realization that they will never be able to achieve fame through research excellence. Those hailing from the elite institutions however will probably go on to do research, but that there will be no guarantee that they will actually be able to win the Nobel prize, in which case will lead them to disillusionment. Thus those at the bottom of the barrel or even those at the mid-section of the barrel, since having coming to terms with their own mediocrity will therefore lead fuller lives. This may sound slightly erroneous but the author quickly qualifies this by saying that there are faculty members in less ‘glamorous’ universities whom may even be of higher caliber than those in he the elite institutions. Still, I find some of his arguments hard to stomach. The US is home to many institutions of higher education, ranging from mega universities (where the student body is the size of a small city) to small liberals arts colleges where a typical class size is no larger than ten students. State funded universities like those within the University of California system are one such example of these mega universities that offer great research as well as ‘mass education’. Towards the other end of the spectrum, we have small liberal arts colleges like Middlebury which cater no so much to the lofty ideals of research but rather offer solid liberals arts education, exposing small groups of students to the wonders of astronomy, Spanish, calculus and even Aristotle. In short the US education system is so willing to experiment that depending on what kind of student or even academic you are, one will be sure to find a ‘home’. So whether you are an Einstein wannabe ( I read somewhere he was a terrible teacher) or have been inspired by Sidney Poitiers’ ‘To Sir with love’ character, within the US higher education system, one can definitely either produce ground breaking research or make a lasting impact on the lives of the young. No matter whatever qualms you may have about the US and its external policies, one cannot deny that this willingness to experiment with different educational systems has invariably produced scientists, artists and even philosophers. But of course, I am not going to be ranting or raving about the wonders of the American education system am I?

Of course not, because after all I am in Malaysia and whenever in class I am always encouraging my students to think Malaysia despite the fact that most of our textbooks are from the US (you see my point?). So what can we say about the universities here in Malaysia? Well for one, there is very little of the pioneer spirit, of experimentation in terms of higher education. Most of the universities in Malaysia still follow the ‘developmental’ model wherein its role is largely to ‘produce’ a large group of educated people to power the needs of a growing nation. Recently however, this ‘developmental’ model of universities has been called into question as many of its graduates face unemployment upon graduation. The sociological perspective of course points us to factors such as the economy and other structural reasons. But more seriously, public universities have been unable to run away from accusations of less than meritocratic standards of admission. Even though many of the older public universities have been given more independence in terms of admissions, the old labels still stick. To ostensibly fill the gap, private institutions have sprouted up and the sheer number of these institutions show us just how ‘massified’ higher education has become. What does this tell us? Well for one, higher education will always be a premium in a country which places importance on the paper chase as a way to achieve upward social mobility. As it become increasingly more competitive to enter public universities, these private institutions will continue to grow offering popular courses in business, media studies, engineering and scientific disciplines producing graduates whom will fill a specific market requirements. So where does this put our younger generation? Are they merely to be ‘moulded’ into model citizens (think: National service) or are they pushed into the marketplace as ‘knowledge workers’ forever beholden to ‘market forces’?

Society

Societies, especially the modern ones we live, are constantly changing. Its demographic makeup, its racial mix, ethnic, gender etc. are always in a constant state of flux. Returning to the mean streets of KL after a long sojourn abroad, I felt like I had become a foreigner in my own land. Driving in and out of the Chinatown area, I was met with a throng of people speaking languages which were far more different to the ones I had grown accustomed to as a child. These crowds were speaking, Urdu, Burmese, Indonesian, Javanese, Nepali and the list just goes on. My parents and their parents themselves were from the far reaches of the Orient, arriving some hundred years ago to seek a better life, both for themselves and their descendants. But I have always grown up feeling that I am as every part Malaysian and that where my ancestors hailed from did not matter anymore. So seeing what I saw that fateful day in KL reminded me just how, fluid societies are, and perhaps even one day I may become a minority in my own country as the country becomes increasingly ‘metropolitan’. The Singaporeans themselves are facing this problem in a country where the population size of foreign expats and permanent residents are increasing whilst its own ‘native’ groups are on the decline. So, reading Singaporean dailies, it is not hard to find articles deriding, lambasting the government’s liberal policies towards immigration.

Here in good ol’ sunny Malaysia, you would find also angry union groups, telling off the government and insisting that jobs in palm-oil plantations should only be reserved for Malaysians and not foreigners from certain neighbouring countries. The thing is, it’s the minimum wage requirement that is making it less attractive for these plantation companies to hire local labourers. Foreign labourers are more abundant and much much cheaper.

So this sparks off another issue. With the increasing visibility of foreigners, locals are beginning to feel that their ‘turf’ is ‘taken over’. Just like the Singaporeans, Malaysians are developing a siege mentality, over the hordes of ‘invaders’ flooding into the country. Because of their presence everywhere, and due to their relatively low status in society, these foreigners are being blamed for everything , from durians not ripening to the rising crime rates. It’s easy to blame them. These foreigners are transient and occupy the fringes and the peripheries of Malaysia society. Their social position in Malaysia is unstable and uncertain, constantly being targeted by immigration officials and abused at the hands of their employers. The more of these foreigners we see, the more we begin to imagine how they’re going to rob, rape and murder us, our paranoia increasing. But more often than not, we will find that most of the crimes committed, are those by our fellow Malaysians and not the ones coming from outside Malaysia. Nonetheless the trickle down effect is that Malaysians, by a nature a wary and paranoia bunch, are becoming increasingly so. They are becoming a fearful lot. Many advertisements in the print media showcase ‘gated’ communities and housing projects where houses and living spaces are essentially fenced up. This is supposedly to deter ‘undesirable elements’ from entering and ostensibly causing havoc and chaos. Even certain neighbourhoods in KL are resorting to the use of private security companies to man each end of the street they live on. It seems as if Malaysians are becoming more and more alienated from their government and turning insular into themselves. There is very little feeling of security living in such hard economic times as these. As is the case with developed, modern societies, as the economy plunges deeper into crisis, more people will resort to criminality to make ends meet. The higher classes, the middle classes and especially the lower classes are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Therefore the have-not’s will resort to extreme measures to survive, whilst the have’s will continue about their business returning to live lives in security camps. Sequestered and separated, there is very little of kampong spirit that has been so typical of life outside of urban areas. But what is this thing called the Kampong Spirit? Well we could say that its that mechanical solidarity that people have in preindustrial society where social bonds based on shared moral values are of more importance. Shared moral values? Do we have that? Or have we lost our moral compass?

Academic Writing

How we mark:

a) appropriateness of the title

b) substance (thoroughness/depth of exploration into topic, clear, independent thought)

c) coherence of discussion (systematic development of argument/ideas, connections between parts of the essay)

d) organization (clear structure, concise and fluent writing)

e) use of evidence/data/illustrations

f) citations and references (including ability to select materials, completeness, accuracy and usefulness)

1. Planning and Executing a written project

· Spend time to plan and think about the essay. Plan ahead and develop an answer.

· Do an outline: it gives the essay a skeleton and makes selection of materials easier. Arguments also flow in a more coherent way.

· Make sure you answer the question.

· See your essays in blocks of arguments. (have an introduction, body and conclusion) Have arguments consistently throughout your essay. Avoid giving chunks of data without arguments and only leaving the analysis to the end.

2. Making an argument and expressing an opinion
• The difference is whether you have evidence to support your views. Support your arguments with evidence!
• Focus on presenting your own views and arguments, not criticizing other authors’ arguments.

3. Sources and Materials
• Materials: primary vs secondary
• Sources: library (books, journals, articles, digital library), web.
• Refer to your reading list for guides.
• Learn how to do proper research. It is a skill that will prove essential. Do not limit yourself to the assigned readings.

Note: a lot of things are on internet are garbage. Do make sure that your source is reliable and always read with a critical eye and be selective!

4. Writing the essay

· Formulate a question to answer and an outline to guide you.

· Answer the question that you set out to do!

· Don’t write everything. You usually read more than you can use! Be selective!

· It is not a “write all you know” essay!

· Understand what the question wants and continuously reinforce the conclusions / arguments that you have made.

· Argument and examples must help answer the question. Do not include unnecessary information.

· Coherence in your essay is very important. Do not let your arguments jump around. Make sure that your argument is clear, concise (not long-winded), and not confusing. Plan your essay!

· Always give the argument first before illustrating and supporting it with evidence.

· Introduction: Make sure you have a clear introduction. Prepare the reader for what’s coming in the rest of the essay. State your aims clearly and limit your scope of argument. Then, make sure you fulfill the promises made in the introduction! Do not lose your focus halfway through the essay!

· Conclusion: Sum up your arguments and reinforce your aims stated in the introduction. This is a good time to check if you have answered the question and fulfilled the aims spelt out in the introduction. Make sure you have a clear, concise conclusion.

5. Referencing and Citations

For reader to read / refer to the original source. References and citations should always be consistent and comprehensive. Choose only 1 style! We recommend the APA style!

6. Plagiarism

• Quotations and Paraphrasing
• Acknowledge all your sources. If direct words from author is to be used, make sure that they are in quotation marks and that the author is duly acknowledged.
• Even if you paraphrase an idea or argument of another author, do acknowledge it!
• Example: According to XXX, …. Or XXX says that …. Or XXX points to…. (and then cite it in your footnotes!)
• Always cite the sources of facts (except those which are obvious)
• Reminder: Plagiarism is a serious offense which may result in a grade of zero for your paper and/or other forms of disciplinary action from the university. We need to say that you have put in the effort to cite all your sources!

7. Finally,
• Always do a read through and grammar check.
• Be concise. Choose words that are simple, precise and best suitable to describe or present your arguments. Avoid using “flowery” or “big” words. You want your arguments to be clear and comprehensible.
• Format: Times New Roman, Font Size 12, Double Spacing, 1-inch margins at all sides.

What’s culture anyway?

After having gone through several very interesting ‘discussion’ sessions with my fellow ‘travelers’ I started thinking hard about this issue we had discussed about yesterday. We were talking about several things. One was this idea of ‘culture’. The other was about society and our role (or many roles) in it as members of society. Ok lets deal with this culture thing first.

According to the imminent scholars of whose texts we have been reading, culture is a shared ‘code’ which governs how a group of people think, act, speak etc. generally a way of regulating behaviour in society. The textbook way of looking at culture further adds that it is divided into two areas, material and non-material. Objects which can be touched and physically handled, such as flags, constitutional texts and even national cars may be seen as being part of our physical culture. A fellow traveler even mentioned that musical instruments such as the kompang could also be part of Malaysia’s culture. On the other hand non-material culture is a little bit more difficult to fathom. It’s difficult to try to put our finger on things such as values, norms, folkways, mores. Values are ideas that a community or society truly treasures and which it believes will help them achieve higher potentialities, such democracy, human rights, freedom etc, norms on the hand consists of mores; moral regulations that guide an individuals’ choice and folkways, rules that govern how you act, prohibiting you from being either rude or inconsiderate to your fellow human beings.

However looking at today’s world its hard to imagine or to think about culture as something which is ‘pure’ and ‘unadulterated’. The reality of modern societies that we live in is that, everything is mixed, campured or mixed up into a salad and somehow made to gel together with some sticky sweet black sauce (ala rojak). We cannot also forget about this thing called globalization which further complicates the picture. MTV, AXN, media, radio, internet, technology, Gerhard Lenski, whatever it is you want to name, are the very channels which bring many cultures right into your living room. Many a times, our government have made announcements about how important it is to maintain our culture. The Tourism Malaysia advertisements also continuously showcased Malaysian ‘culture’ to sell this image of our country as modern and yet anchored in many cultures. But how many of us would wear our baju kurung, kebaya, samfu, cheongsam and sari on a daily basis? From my perspective these ‘cultural’ costumes seem to be worn only on religious festivals and celebrations. For the most part we’d rather wear our jeans, t-shirts or our shirt and tie when at work. But then again what is Malaysian culture? Malaysia is home to many ethnic groups, all hailing from different cultural backgrounds. The number of languages spoken in Malaysia alone would give Sopir-Whorf a huge headache! That’s also why I was very surprised when the Indonesians were up in arms over the tarian pendet issue and in response, recently, were trying to claim rights to the batik, a form of cloth making which is also common in Malaysia. Indonesian itself is home to a myriad of cultures that span the thousands of islands within its borders. So its difficult to define what is culturally Indonesian. It should instead of making the batik exclusively theirs, market it to the world through teaching the fine art of batik-making thus spreading its ‘culture’. Therefore, Malaysia should celebrate its multi-culturalism and not claim the exclusive rights to a particular way of speaking, cooking or dressing. But still, I have not yet answered what Malaysian culture is. It’s something hard to pinpoint, but like I said earlier, our culture is rojak, a mix of everything congealed together in thick, sweet sauce. I mean being able to relate to our culture through the analogical use of food, I mean isn’t that a Malaysian trait already?