| On the first day of class, I asked students to say something about what they hoped to get out of the course. I won't tell you how many said, simply, an A. "If you're bored by this question," I added, "you can draw a picture of the economy instead." One person took me up on this offer, drawing a picture of the local economy, more specifically a pie chart of the UMass budget. (To fully understand this picture, you need to know that the classroom temperature was 86º because Physical Plant had forgotten to turn on the ventilator. And, all promises to the contrary, there was no overhead projector in the room.) |
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"Understanding of [the] economic world around me. And ways to make money." | |
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"I want to gain a greater insight into the real 'going-ons.' I read the newspaper religiously but still don't feel like I really know what's happening. I want to be cynical & utterly opinionated. I need a better background to be confident." | |
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"I'd like to find an answer to the question of whether it is possible to have a capitalist system with a repressed underclass? If not, can the system be modified or must it be replaced with a different system. If so, what does that system look like?" | |
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"I want to get out of this course the critical thinking skills I need to learn more about what's goin' on, so I can become more bitter and dejected and from there either become a serial killer or actually get off my ass and change the world." | |
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"I would like to develop a strong and righteous foundation from which to explore my seemingly insatiable desire for self-interest." |