Afternoon T&A at the UofA

Where "T&A" logically stands for the teaching and assisting components of my SOC 489 teacher's assistant. In this particular class I have group discussion every week, based on a series of readings which are assigned. The teacher prepares a set of very specific questions about the readings, which we answer in the form of a 2-page hand-in summary, and the group discussion attempts to gather input from the entire class.

For the first group discussion, I was in the professor's group. It was mildly informative and essentially an extension of what she does during any given lecture. Today, however, I was in the T.A.'s group, and it was totally awesome.

Never before have I heard such frankness and colourful language in an academic setting. To sum up our group discussion, the T.A. basically made it clear that the readings we were assigned were bullshit, the course material was irrelevant, and the entire Sociology department was, again, dictated by bureaucratic bullshit.

Though I enjoyed the discussion, it did put me in quite a bind. I'm required to regurgitate the information that the professor and department require of me, yet this renegade T.A. is responsible for marking all my assignments, and has a particular affinity for recognizing bullshit. Quite the quandary, indeed.

Currently listening to: The ambient satellite radio station...so very soothing.