Zhanjun Chen

(Monica)

Feminist Theory Final ProjectAn Ideal Educational System In Ever-ever Land

Let’s start with three questions~^u^

1.Are you and the person sitting next to you in the same world?

2.What is your life goal? Why do you study hard for your major now?

3.What is your opinion on the education you have received?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAWTovo3ZnU

So, what do you think? Any thoughts?

A Little Bit Introduction~^u^

For our human beings, education, or operant conditioning learning by reinforcement, decides who we are and who we will become—it dominates to form one’s world value, teaches one how to gain the basic ability to survive in the society, give one the knowledge and capacity to pursue life goals.

However, on the other hand, we learn to develop “evil” traits by positive reinforcement—e.g., if I become aggressive and hurt others’ interests, I can gain more.

Instead of proposing a reforming suggestion, I am just trying to design a “perfect” education system here, with an assumption that we are living in an ideal utopia that has adopted this education system since the very beginning, without the “no first generation” concern.

contentOutline for My Final Project~^0^

Human Development History and Our Contemporary Society

An Ideal Utopia

Educational System in This Ideal World Distance Between Reality and the Ideal

When there is people, there is warfare.

In Pinker’s article A History of Violence, he provides lots of backings and warrants for his argument: violence of all kinds is decreasing over long stretches of time. I have to admit that we are much more “peaceful” than people in ancient times along human revolution; modernity contributes to that achievement.

However, violence covered by a piece of veil called civilization is not equal to real peace. Competition is the engine of human revolution and development.

As the process of civilization, we realize that warfare is a crime against humanity, so we invented institutions like the United Nations to try to repress our evil human nature. It does “function well”:----the majority is largely influenced by those institutions, while the minority, i.e., the superpowers, who are the great inventors, has the ownership of those “machines.

Human Development History and Our Contemporary Society

When there is people, there is warfare.

As the famous American rock star Jimi Hendrix said: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

Under the anarchist atmosphere for international affairs, “peace” seems to be an ideal term existing in Ever-ever Land, which is too romantic to be achieved in our realist world.

Continuous radical conflicts, “peaceful” competition, or temporary cooperation—every country has been trying best to make rational choices in order to be “better off,” or make the biggest relative gain; and there is no doubt that in whatever situations, the only thing matters is “Survival.” 

Human Development History and Our Contemporary Society

When there is people, there is warfare.

Chinese middle school example

The faculty feel anxious and suspicious as well. “Perma-temping” (Twilight of Academic Freedom by MarcBousquet)

After Graduation, something else is waiting…As division of labor is one of the products by industrialization and social development, it seems that the stigma’s on certain types of jobs and the strong preference for some others is inevitable.

The Root of all the devil is competition, in order to satisfy the desire to be “the upper-level” in order to enjoy priorities.

Human Development History and Our Contemporary Society

In Plato’s Republic

In Plato’s completely good city—Kallipolis, there are three major classes—producers, guardians, and rulers—everyone was specially educated and then carefully chosen in their childhood; other than exploring his best-fit field, one individual is supposed to do one specific job until death, which guarantees the perfect social order in the city.

If you cannot feel that you don’t have humanity or freedom, it equals that you have humanity and freedom.

Productivity needs perfect social order to keep it highly developed, which required stability—there’s no time or resource for individuals to waste when they are trying to find out what fit him or her best.

An Ideal Utopia

In the Ever-ever Land

However, can we both have perfect social order and high-level individuality in the same society?

Yes!!! In an Ever-ever Land where competition does not exist, where people understand and respect each other’s difference without discrimination, where people are aware that we will never totally understand each other, it is able to adopt this perfect educational system.

One big difference from Plato’s “cruel” Republic— “you are just born this way”, This Ever-ever Land has a first step for education: Looking for what you are really good at.

If so, the society in the Ever-ever Land would be extremely efficient because everyone are making full use of their potential.

An Ideal Utopia

A two-step system

In the new education system, the first thing students should learn is that there is no difference between a bathroom cleaner or a white collar manager. And there is no competition between each other—you do it for yourself.  In the new education system, people’s purpose of getting educated is totally different: there are two steps—to find one’s life goal, then gain the capacity to achieve it.

We want a new education system in which everyone can explore their fields of interest as many as possible without bias, then finally decide which one to be his/her career focus, and make full use of their potential.  Curricular design, transition between periods. instructors, diet (Vegetarian?) , uniform…

 

Educational System in This Ideal World

We have been trying, but…

We have always been trying: e.g., the Girl’s Rock Camp, UC Davis’s Experimental College (http://ecollege.ucdavis.edu/)

The problem is: You can not just change the education system alone…On the other hand, the educational system has been existed for decades globally, which means it is the most suitable for our world right now. However, it’s obviously that not everyone satisfied with it.

Shock Therapy. (Naomi Klein)

I know that there would never be one day our society could be “developed” enough to be able to adopt this education system, but it is nice to “imagine otherwise” an Ever-ever Land in a fairy tale—to make a wish. 

Distance Between Reality and the Ideal

Be Positive!

Well, maybe it is coming soon—I’d rather believe that 2012 is the start point of a fascinating enlightenment of human thoughts, instead of the end of the world. We will see. 

Distance Between Reality and the Ideal

Thank you!