Should course codes have standard- ized expectations in the English De- partment?

Colin Ahern, Opinions Editor » thecampus.opinions@gmail.com

Should course codes have standardized expectations in the Engish department?

Colin Ahern- Opinions Editor

As a second-year literature honors student, my experience has reflected that course codes are vague indicators that often do not accurately reflect course content. Generally, higher level course codes correlate with more precise content, implying that it requires prerequisite knowledge. For example, ENG112 covers a vast scope of history from 600 CE to 1600 CE, covering the English language as it transitions from old to middle to modern English. ENG310 focuses on Old English as a language, concentrating on a smaller window of time with a greater depth. This idea translates well for these two courses, but this format breaks down when considering classes that are not historical or when considering the difficulty of readings and evaluations. There is no obvious precursor to classes that analyze individual literary genres or creative writing. The nebulous nature of these classes makes it difficult to gauge how many readings are appropriate to cover the content. I have had 300-level courses that used three books or fewer, while some of my 200-level classes required up to six books. While the number of books seems to be trivial, the quantity of readings often translates to workload. Heavier readings take more effort than classes with fewer readings.

Beyond the quantity of readings, course evaluations are also not standardized. While most 100-level classes do not ask more than 1500 words for a final assignment, 200- and 300-level classes vary heavily in word count and difficulty. Personally, I have had 200-level classes with final essays that range from 1800 words to 3500 words. Ironically, none of my 300-level classes have been the most difficult or demanding during their semesters.

I do not take the course code into consideration anymore when looking at English classes. The workload and difficulty is largely dependent on the professor and how well I can understand the material. A problem arises when describing classes to other students. Within the literature department, students tend to flock to professors they find more agreeable because the course code is largely irrelevant. This removes the focus on the material since literature students often find themselves enrolling with the same professor regardless of the course content, because they know they are comfortable with the teacher’s style of instruction.

Standardizing the number of books and essay length would dispel the common discrepancies found in the difficulty of English classes. Personally, I would be more likely to choose classes in certain domains that I otherwise avoid if I knew I could expect a similar workload in every course. The way that the English department currently operates leads to students gravitating towards particular fields due to the professor rather than the content.

Photo Courtesy of Emily Crunican

Survive the Gait & campus events

Graphic Courtesy of Leea Rebeca Ruta

Connor Kay- Staff Writer

Following the new year, the start of the semester, and the return of students to campus there is an event held by the BU SRC known as Survive the Gait. Survive the Gait offers students the chance to receive fully paid tuition for the semester (at the Québec rate), which encourages students to participate in a series of challenges in an intense, yet friendly competition. Having an inclusive competition among peers allows people to play competitively while also bonding and making friends.

The process is much like the play style of the hit TV show Survivor, making for a large and memorable experience in the small setting of the Gait. Survive the Gait employs many features that are common in high production value game shows, which contrasts the small town nature of Bishop’s event. This makes it unique and entertaining especially when making notice of the compact setting yet large stakes of play. Holding challenges within the isolated play area of the Gait poses its limitations, and students who choose to attend the Gait from Jan. 21-28 will have an opportunity to see what unique challenges await participants. Events like Survive the Gait held by the SRC are what attract students to become even further included in Bishop’s community, once seeing the carefully planned events the school has to offer. A benefit of increasing the number of on-campus activities similar to Survive the Gait and making them available for students is that students can safely get out of their comfort zone and fully experience Bishop’s as it is meant to be. In a conversation concerning campus events, the group came to an agreement that having more events throughout the year may also result in higher student approval rates and also satisfaction scores. Also, there has been an increasing level of involvement from students since the end of COVID-19 restrictions, inviting such events. These events will make for a lively and inclusive student-driven campus that would only build Bishop’s reputation for community engagement.