Blog Entry #11

In My Freshman Year, anthropologist Rebekah Nathan documents her experiences exploring student life undercover as a freshman at an anonymous university. She sheds light on student culture using examples from dorm life, community development, academics, and college management. I found this book to be interesting and informative. In this entry, I reflect on my reactions to this book. My reflection is guided by the three bolded questions below.

What was the most surprising aspect of the book, and why did it surprise you?

In chapter 2, Nathan discusses formal and informal student culture. She states, "If the formal culture stressed advice, academics, and warnings, informal culture stressed sociability, fun, and humor." This is interesting to me because student culture is often discussed as monolithic, either academically oriented or fun oriented. Nathan seems to hint at a dual culture whereby competing demands for academic success and fun are balanced.

Although this is not entirely surprising to me, it is an interesting way to think about student culture. If students are exposed to a dual culture during their time in college, this may lead to academic conflict. Consider a student who is motivated to a) work hard and succeed academically, and b) not take school too seriously and have fun. For this student, the first motivation may be impeded by the second. Although studying, attending class, attending instructor office hours, and other academic pursuits may fulfill the first motivation, they may be at odds with the second motivation.

Resulting from this dual culture, students likely interact differently with their instructors than with their peers. For example, academic discussions are reserved for instructors whereas discussions about parties and other extracurricular activities are reserved for peers. This may be a good thing for instructors who do not wish to interpret their students slang or hear about the latest party they attended. However, it may be a problem when students wish to initiate academic discussions with their peers. Students may feel uncomfortable initiating these discussions, and this unease may strengthen the dual culture.

As a more minor point, I also found Nathan's brief discussion in chapter 1 about college slang interesting. She discusses a study that showed "...only 10 percent of a college slang lexicon remained in use..." over a 7 year period of time. I graduated with my B.S. in 2007, so it is likely that much of the slang I used is now out of style. :)

In light of the challenges faced by undergraduate students highlighted in the book, what advice would you give new college instructors?

Understand student culture and all that it encompasses. Many students take 15-18 course credits, work part time, participate in clubs and athletics, and try to make time for friends and family. Consequently, your course may be only a small part of your students' lives. At first reflection, this may be discouraging to new college instructors considering the amount of time we devote to the development of our courses. However, we can adapt to the environment in which we teach. Here are some ways in which new instructors may adapt.

1) It may be unwise to overload students with homework. Although one may think that giving students a lot of homework will motivate them to spend a considerable amount of time learning course material, it may in fact have the opposite effect. Students overloaded with homework may focus more on getting the work done then learning the material. Assigning students a more reasonable amount of homework may result in more learning.

2) Be clear about the purpose of assignments. Because students are often very busy, assignments without obvious purpose may not be taken seriously. Distribute assignments along with a brief overview of the importance of those assignments.

3) When possible, make classes interesting. Many instructors argue that classes are not meant to be fun, but rather informative and enlightening. Although I agree with this perspective, it doesn't hurt to present material in a way that is interesting. Presenting material in a way that is interesting may motivate student engagement.

Has this book changed your perspective on undergraduate students? If no, why not? If so, how so?

I found many of Nathan's descriptions of student life to be consistent with my own perspective and experiences as an undergraduate. I was consistently enrolled full time, worked between 20-40 hours a week, and tried to maintain strong relationships with my friends and family. Although this book did not change my perspective about students, it did remind me of the demands many of them face.

I did find myself resistant to some of the descriptions of student culture that Nathan presented. I feel that she presented one perspective in a world where there are many. In chapter 6, Nathan states, "The second salient point to remember is that not all college students buy into the dominant paradigm of the day. College culture, like any culture, is neither singular nor monolithic." I am not completely convinced that Nathan's description is the "dominant paradigm of the day." Although my experience may be unique, I knew many students that were strongly engaged with their studies. It is possible that Nathan's descriptions may be somewhat unique to freshman rather than college students as a whole. It would be interesting to see another ethnography where college seniors are observed.