>Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:36:18 -0500 >From: "J. A. Madrigal" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Fwd: Frank Domínguez: Re: Literatura > y los programas académicos >To: "A. Robert Lauer" <[log in to unmask]> > >My two cents...Frank is right (hi Frank) except when he blames the >administration. It is our fault, and only our fault, because we forgot >that we went into this profession to study literature, not philosophy, >political theory and other disciplines that should complement what we do >and not become our core. >When we interview the future scholars of our profession, and specially >from the better PHD programs, it is embarrassing how little literature they >know. In most occasion, I find myself talking to them about works they >don't know in their own field. Incredible that someone in Golden Age >sometimes is better read than they are in their own fields. But Frank, >you are right, only three fields exist today: Spanish American Prose, >Contemporary Peninsular literature and Linguistics. The rest is old and >boring. >Also, the only individual in my Department who teaches Theory beginning >with Plato is me...Anything before the Contemporary period is as >dead... >Retirement from this profession is a welcome change!!! >Tony > >*********************************************** > J. A. Madrigal > Castanoli Professor > Dpt. of Foreign Languages > and Literatures > Auburn University, AL 36849-5204 > Fax: 334-844-6378 > Phone: 334-844-5183 >*********************************************** > > > >>> "A. Robert Lauer" <[log in to unmask]> 11/04/2007 21:25 >>> > > >Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:31:23 -0400 > >From: Frank Dominguez <[log in to unmask]> > >Subject: Re: Literatura y los programas académicos > >To: "A. Robert Lauer" <[log in to unmask]> > >Cc: [log in to unmask] > > > >Dear Robert: > > > >I seldom participate in listserv discussions, > >but Nancy D'Antuono's comments (hi, Nancy!) have > >moved me to add my two cents. I agree that the > >preparation of today's students in every area of > >pre-18th century literature (and I am really a > >medievalista rather than a Cervantista) has > >become woefully inadequate. But, it is not their > >fault. It is ours for permitting programs to be > >streamlined to fit students' natural desire to > >concentrate on the modern to the exclusion of > >the older periods and for watering down the qualifying exams. > > > >In part, this was a reaction to pressure from > >the administration which, working from a > >business model, wanted student training > >accelerated so that they could complete their > >MA/PhD in 5 years. But, what seemed fine for > >English, because they could build on a solid > >undergraduate background, or History, because it > >did not have language problem, was and is a > >disaster for us in language and literature > >departments. The upshot is that we are > >graduating a generation of students that do not > >realize that they are hopelessly unprepared. > > > >Today, I sat on a good dissertation on feminine > >writing as a coping mechanism for loss. However, > >the candidate could not answer how writing had > >been conditioned by loss from time immemorial. > >Perhaps I was wrong in asking, but before, any > >student worth his or her salt could have > >anticipated a question such as mine, even if > >their main concern was the application of Cixous's theories. > > > >The answer is to insist that students have a > >good background in every period (I too am > >grateful to Glaser!), that their qualifying > >exams cover all periods, and that we do not hire > >faculty who are so deficient in the earlier > >periods, that they do not see the value of a > >rounded preparation or can participate fully in > >the discourse of a department. This last is > >particularly critical, because the person you > >hire today will be making decisions about > >programs in the not too distant future. > > > >Frank Dominguez > Prof. A. Robert Lauer The University of Oklahoma Dept. of Modern Langs., Lits., & Ling. 780 Van Vleet Oval, Kaufman Hall, Room 206 Norman, Oklahoma 73019-2032, USA Tel.: 405-325-5845 (office); 405/325-6181 (OU dept.); Fax: 1-866-602-2679 (private) Vision: Harmonious collaboration in an international world. Mission: "Visualize clearly and communicate promptly" <http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/L/A-Robert.R.Lauer-1/vita.html>VITA / <http://www.peterlang.com/all/>IBÉRICA /<http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/L/A-Robert.R.Lauer-1/AITENSO.html>AITENSO / <http://www.ou.edu/bcom/>BCom / <http://www.comedias.org/>AHCT / <http://www.mla.org/>MLA / <http://www.ou.edu/cervantes/coloquiocervantes.html>Coloquio <http://www.ou.edu/cervantes/coloquiocervantes.html>Cervantes / <http://www.ou.edu/teatro/coloquioteatro.html>Coloquio Teatro de los Siglos de Oro