Part I: The Quotidian
Since I am..... (very) slowly... carving for myself somewhat of a daily, or rather, weekly routine, I thought I would provide my readers with an update.
My formal schedule is actually quite light. I am taking a class called "Southeast Asian Cultural Landscapes" on Tuesday nights (18:30 - 21:30). The theme of the class so far has been about the cultural (dis)unity of Southeast Asia, and, as the prof is partial to giving heavy readings, has quickly submersed me into the academic literature on Southeast Asian studies (with which, at McGill, I had virtually no experience). Unfortunately (in my opinion), the prof is also prone to treat this class as more of a lecture- strange at the postgrad level I suppose. Not so bad, you might think.... but 3 hour lectures can be quite painful. It is enlivened somewhat by his constant tangents and personal stories (I think he spent an hour last week talking about ghosts and spirits). For better or for worse, said prof only teaches the first half of this course, and it remains to be seen what the second half will be like.
My other class is on Wednesday nights (same time) and is called "Anthropological Approaches to Southeast Asia". The class is exactly like it sounds, which, for me, is a rare island of anthropological relief in a sea dominated by the likes of geography and sociology (not that the differences are huge...). This is a much more seminar-like class (which is what I'm used to/ was expecting). The only problem is that most people in the class have little-to-no background in sociology or anthropology, and quite a few have been out of academia for some time now, so it really impacts the type of discussion we can have in the seminar. The prof, of course, is hard-core anthropologist all the way and so far seems to appreciate my strong inclination towards the discipline, complete with my unintentionally heavy use of anthropological jargon and name-droppping to which I had come so accustomed at McGill. In both of my classes there is one other token white guy (a Brit and (yay!) a Montrealer).
In addition to this, I am dropping-in / observing/ auditing an undergrad class: the Sociology of Education. Why this class? So, as part of my scholarship, I am "obliged" to do whatever work is assigned to me, which normally involves giving tutorials. However, as I am "new to the system", I was told that I didn't have to do this for the first semester. Rather, I would be assigned a prof to which I could become an "administrative assistant". By the luck of bureacracy, the prof to which I assigned did not want/need an "administrative assistant", but encouraged me (if I were so inclined) to sit-in her class, mostly for my own personal interest. I could also sit-in to the tutorial(s), just to see how they are done, with the possibility of teaching one myself toward the end of the semester. Not only do I find the class incredibly insightful and interesting (I'm learning a lot about the education system in Singapore), but it's also a cool experience being in an undergrad class at NUS- if for nothing else to observe the differences and similarities with McGill. This class is once a week, on Tuesday afternoon from 12:00 to 14:00, with a 2 hr tutorial once every two weeks. To my sheer shock, I learnt today that the poor professor of this class is teaching all five of the tutorials herself!!!! I don't think this sort of thing would EVER happen at McGill.
As for my "formal" obligations, that's pretty much it. There are other things that occasionally come up.... the random seminar to drop into (I went to a remarkably boring one about rainforest aracheology....), and soon, I will be starting my triple language exchange.
Yes, for the purpose of my research, I have decided to higher a Burmese tutor. I found a young lady on Craigs List, and she will start giving me lessons once a week for 2 hours, starting in early September.
But... since my research will be in Thailand, it was decided that I should learn a bit of Thai. So I initiated a language exchange with a young lady from Thailand who, for some reason, is desirous to learn French. My minor is already serving me with practical use (and not to mention, social capital).
But, thats not enough for me! I also thought that, since I'll be here for two years, I might as well learn a smattering of Mandarian. I found a very friendly fellow who wants to learn Spanish in exchange for Mandarian. I don't imagine that these lessons will ever go beyond the most basic level, but it'll be really nice to know a little bit of Mandarin.
In addition to all of this, I have around 400 pgs / week of reading to do for my classes... and I still have the task of coming up with a good research question (I'll keep you posted on that).
Part II: Thoughts on...
a. NUS: Since my last entry, I have actually experienced classes, and had the chance to talk to an array of students and professors. And I have some interesting observations.
At the undergraduate level, NUS is a "state school" and suffers from the syndrome of reasonably accessible schools throughout the world - not everyone takes it seriously, and most people just want to get that piece of paper. The best students, it seems, earn scholarships to study in that golden land of opportunity where all the universities are fantastic and the streets are paved with gold. In Singapore, as, apparantly, in most of Southeast ASia (and perhaps most of Asia in general), one gains a great deal of prestige in going to this golden land of the hamburger.
Despite this, there are many quality (local and foreign) students at NUS. The best make it to the honours level (in which they do a 4th year not normally required of normal undergrads). The best among them make it to the masters level (and so on). So, at the higher levels, the quality of student is quite high. That having been said, there is still, in my opinion, a devaluation of NUS, especially compared to Coca-Cola land and to a lesser extentm the land of Fish n Chips. Oh, and my readers will be pleased to know that McGill is accorded an extremely high status, on par with the premier schools in the world.
The irony, in my eyes, is that, on paper (at least according to THE TIMES, the most reputable international university ranking), McGill is just barely (albeit always) above NUS. In Social Science (which, obviously, matters to me) McGill is tired at 14th, while NUS is 18th. McGill might be better in the bookstore's offering, and the library collection, and the amount of available computers, but NUS has exceptional faculty and its buildings aren't crumbling. Oh, and the food is much better (but such a thing harldly counts in int'l rankings). My point is, on paper and in practise, McGill is just barely a better school than NUS, which is, in the local minds, way under-respected (or, perhaps, McGill is over-respected ... but I niavely try to think this is not the case).
b. grad school: It didn't take me long to realise that grad school is quite different from undergrad. For one thing, you really make your own schedule. In undergrad, you have a list of readings you're supposed to know for the exam, etc. In grad school (as it's been so far), you do have readings your supposed to do for classes, but you're not necessarily tested for them. You are also supposed to read regularly on your own.... ie, find sources on your own interests and just continually read them, and keep current on the literature.
Another thing that was true to some extent at mcGill, but more so now, is the education you get in the hallways. Just talking to people, who are like-minded but have different backgrounds and experience, is an enriching experience. Not only for my personal knowledge, but even for my own research - as my fellow sociologists/anthropologists can give suggestions/feedback on my ideas. IT helps being in the region that I'm researching, as almost everyone here is a decent knowledge of the area.
Perhaps the most important thing, or at least the biggest difference, is that grad school is about social networking. Meetings with profs all of a sudden become more important. And there are more social events to attend to ... teas, seminars, etc. Not only profs, but other grad students (higher-ups and peers) are important for establishing your academic social capital. Fortunately, as grad students are a bit higher up on the academic food chain (compared to undergrads), conversations with other higher-ups becomes accordingly easier.
c. academia: Being in grad school - even at the masters level- is an introduction to the wonderful world of academia. I ask myself everyday if this is the world for me. On the one hand, I really struggle with things like coming up with my own research topic- which is just about the most important part about being in academia. I would mostly just prefer someone to give me something to research and then I could go out and do it- but it doesnt work like that. Somehow, out of thin air, I have to come up with something interesting, feasible, and not yet done. And even if I manage to do that at the masters level (which remains a moderate sized "if"), the thought of doing it again at the PhD level seems quite daunting.
On the other hand, it is only in academia where I enjoy having intellectual conversations with people. I like reading. I like the open schedule. I like the university environment. And yes, daresay, I even like academic writing. I've gotten so used to it that when I'm outside the academic environment - say when I'm in NJ, or even the various placed I've worked at in Montreal, I feel strangely out of place... like I'm talking on a different level than other people. Call it elitist, but I feel a certain connection that I only find with people passionate about learning... and specifically in the social sciences. I like the sheltered strange world of academia. I'm just not sure if I'm cut out for it.
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