Monthly Archives: October 2018

Paradigm Shift Paper College Yes? (RCL 10)

College Yes?

Society in the 21st century teaches us that the art of knowing is very important to us as people and to our futures. A good education allows for us to not only become more aware of the world around us but to become informed and contributing members of society as well. Plato said, “If a man ignores and neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.” The ancient Greeks idolized and understood the true importance of education. They understood that the pursuit of knowledge was required for a man to be a rational and reasoning citizen and that without it, life would mean nothing. While fundamentally, this has always been a concept to follow, its practicality has severely changed over time. Like all things in life, higher education requires time, effort, and money. These are resources that people, specifically the common people, may not necessarily have access to. In this paper, we will be investigating the shift in the accessibility of higher education in the particular subset of the 20th century. I propose that historical events such as the Great Depression and the ratification of the G.I. Bill in addition to the institutional change of educational focus in college that created the shift of the accessibility in higher education that we know and recognize today.

The first half of the 20th century was plagued by a collection of horrid events, capable of disrupting human society beyond recognition. In October of 1929, the global stock market came to a crash resulting in an international economic recession. People of all nations were suddenly hit by a major financial deficit, America being no exception. This, in turn, caused a massive decrease in consumer investment and spending which led to lacking industrial output and companies increasing their layoff rates. In addition, the Dust Bowl phenomenon wiped out crops that were essential to agriculturalists in the west and brought upon them droughts that lasted for years, cutting off all access to farming. In addition, the Dust Bowl phenomenon wiped out crops that were essential to agriculturalists in the west and brought upon them droughts that lasted for

 

years, cutting off all access to farming. Without any warning, a quarter of the American population suddenly became unemployed and starving. People no longer had the funding to be able to provide the basic necessities for their families, The resources that were available, were scarce at the very least. Those who once had their entire futures saved began living day-to-day, never knowing where their next meal would come from, or if it would be coming at all. In order to compensate, the average American family had to shift all their priorities to now focus on working and earning money. The time that may have once been spent on education and pursuing a trade was now spent on hours of grueling and sometimes, dangerous work for little pay. According to an investigative report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the average American at the time of the Great Depression worked between 40 and 48 hours a week with an average wage of 47.2 cents an hour. This hourly wage allowed most families to survive, but just barely.

(Wages During the Great Depression, The National Bureau of Economic Research)

In order for a family to survive financially, children, in addition to their parents, would have to put their nose to the grindstone and become secondary breadwinners for the family. This effect of the Great Depression becomes one of the two primary historical events that trigger the shift in the accessibility of higher education. Children, who were once expected to attend either university or vocational school, now needed to work in order to provide immediate financial relief for their families. This shift in the need for children to work stripped children and young adults from spending their time on education to spending their time earning for the family. A table provided by the statistical division of the U.S. Department of Education shows us that that national average of eligible young adults attending institutions of higher education dropped from a previous 22% to an average of 7.7% during the decade of the great depression. To summarize, it is fair to conclude that due to the need of all able-bodied people in the household to work, education was put on hold in order to provide immediate financial relief for the family and the accessibility of institutions of higher education became much lower. “[…] they register the fluctuations in purchasing power which, in the judgment of some students in the present situation, determine the chances for business recovery and lively attendance of institutions of higher education” (Wolman 1).

 

(Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, U.S. Department of Education)

 

As noted before, the Great Depression significantly decreased the rate of college attendance of Americans and, in turn, decreased the level of education people had. As a leading world power, the United States knew that it could ill afford to have masses of the population uneducated. Thus, the United States Government had to figure out a way to make up nearly twenty years of lost education. After the events of World War 2, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed that G.I. bill (also known as the Serviceman Readjustment bill). This historically important piece of legislature provided much-needed funding and financial support for returning servicemen to be able to readjust to society at the conclusion of the war. The G.I. bill provided servicemen loans to start their businesses, low-cost mortgages, and, of most relevance to this paper, provided tuition and living expenses for servicemen to attend university and technical school. At the conclusion of the war, over 10 million servicemen put down their arms and returned to American Society. For many, the G.I. bill presented them with a new opportunity to attend a college that was once barred due to cost. Supported by a study from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the enrollment of students in institutions of higher education increased from one to almost three million in the 5 years following the ratification of the bill.

 

(Historical Statistics of the United States, U.S. Department of Commerce)

 

Through this, we can see how the implementation of the G.I. bill reversed the negative effects the Great Depression had on education. In addition to allowing servicemen to return to school, the G.I. bill also assisted their families in covering major costs such as healthcare, insurance, and housing. This allowed families to be able to allocate more of their finances to their children. As one can see, the G.I. bill had a two-fold effect on increasing the accessibility of higher education in the United States. The ratification of the bill allowed for servicemen to be able to attend universities nearly free of charge upon returning to their homes. It also helped families cover major living expenses and allowed them to allocate that funding to secure the educational future of their children and the younger generation. The passing of the G.I. bill was the government’s attempt at revamping the mentality average Americans had towards education and higher ed and provided the necessary funding for an exponential increase of its accessibility.

Though historical events played an essential role in the rise of college accessibility, institutional changes within higher education itself also played an important role. The final aspect that altered the accessibility of higher education in the United States is the slow shift from colleges becoming more education-oriented to more career-oriented. In the early 20th century, higher education was focused on only a few fields of knowledge relevant to those mostly of the upper class. This can be seen in the in the types of curriculum offered by institutions of higher ed between 1920 and 1980. According to a study conducted at the Stanford University titled “The History of Higher Education in the United States”, a student’s choice of academic focus revolved around the idea of “concentrations” rather than “majors” as we know today. Most reputable institutions had three categories of rigorous concentration, namely medicine, law (social and public sciences), and innovative sciences. These so-called “concentrations” were meant to meet the needs of students coming from higher socioeconomic backgrounds in their pursuit of challenging and rigorous career fields. Levels of accomplishment were entirely based upon merit, and, in some ways, familial connections. In contrast, towards the end of the century, institutions of higher education began changing this idea of “concentrations” to encompass more specific subgroups within larger fields of study. A figure provided by the U.S. Department of Education shows that towards the end of the century, the general fields of study we had once worked with slowly became divided into subgroups. Students who once stopped themselves from attending college because they found it unnecessary to their career field now found subjects that were directly beneficial to them.

(College Major Statistics, U.S. Department of Education)

 

 

College education now intended on preparing students to enter very specific fields of work and in almost every field possible. By narrowing general fields of education down to these subgroups, a whole generation of young adults, regardless of monetary background, now entered institutions of higher ed knowing what topic they were to study and what career fields they would choose to enter as a result. Students from varying levels of social status could now all enter a similar educational environment choosing to study different fields varying only in their interests and level of merit. This subtle change meant that higher education was not just meant for wealthy people wanting to pursue very rigorous and demanding fields. Regardless of what one wanted to study, their needs would be catered to. This shift in the orientation of education further increased its accessibility to the general population. However, this time, it cleared the social barrier preventing higher ed to the middle and lower class rather than a financial one.

Education is important. We know that being able to attend institutions of higher education is essential to securing future financial security, prosperity, and general well-being. However, we now see that throughout America’s history in the 20th century, the process of attending institutions of higher education was not always so simple. Historical events such as the Great Depression and the ratification of the G.I. bill in addition to the change of educational focus being more applicable to a larger class have resulted in the massive increase of the accessibility of higher education from the early 20th century to now. In this paper, we investigated how the Great Depression forced a cultural phenomenon where people found that working and immediate financial relief for the family was vastly more important than attending school, thus decreasing the attendance rate and accessibility of college education due to financial reasons. In addition, we saw how the conclusion of the 2nd World War and its passing of the G.I.

Bill suddenly ended finances as being a core reason for low attendance rates and accessibility of college. Finally, we witnessed how institutions of higher education changed their curriculum focus to encompass more and more subfields of education which, in turn, created a more appealing environment and a greater sense of need for a wider American population. Each of these events helped shape American higher education into the cultural powerhouse it is today. Though the events of the 20th century made it an excruciating and lengthy process, the American education system has now become a gold standard to which people, both domestic and abroad, look up to. However, one can only imagine that if this much change has resulted in only a mere 100-years-worth of time, what sorts of changes will the accessibility of higher education face in the future?

 

 

Wolman, Leo, Wages During the Great Depression, National Bureau of Economic Research, May 1933

Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States, United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census

History of Higher Education, Investigative Research Department, Stanford University

Konkel, Lindsey, “Life for the Average Family During the Great Depression.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/news/life-for-the-average-family-during-the-great-depression

History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/gi-bill

223D. “Education and Training.” Veterans Benefits Administration Home, benefits.va.gov/gibill/

 

 

 

Paradigm Shift Paper Outline (RCL 9)

I) Introduction

Introduce the idea of higher education.

What does it do?

Why is it important?

In what ways can we see its importance?

Potential Thesis Statement: The social mentality of higher education has significantly shifted from the pure “pursuit of knowledge” to a more ideologically materialistic and career-oriented pathway.

 

II) Body

U.S. Census Bureau data poll of average university attendance of eligible young adults vs. average rate of performance

What is the relationship between the two?

U.S. College enrollment has steadily increased, in addition, the percentage of high performing students has also increased exponentially.

(Percentage of students receiving an “A” grade has rose from 15% to roughly 45%, more than doubling in the span of 70 years or so.)

What implications does this have? College attendance rate is increasing, possibly because of higher requirements of employment. Also worth mentioning the societal status change that attending college has had. (Something once only the economic elite could achieve is now a standard among all Americans.)

Academic performance has been increasing, but does it necessarily mean that students are working harder or are getting smarter? Is it possible that educational standards are being lowered to meet the demands and expectations of students, families, and the job market?

(What other empirical data can I investigate for this topic?)

 

III) Conclusion

Based on the statistical rise of both university attendance and average student performance, the social mentality of higher education has significantly shifted from the pure “pursuit of knowledge” to a more ideologically materialistic and career-oriented pathway. This is supported by the increase of enrollment as well as the significant increase of performance.

 

Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major (Gigue) (Passion 8)

The Gigue dance concludes the 1st Bach suite. Translating to the English word, “jig”, the Gigue is a lively dance in a 6/8 meter. (As we will come to see in later blog posts, gigues tend to be written in compound meters such 6/8 or 3/8.) This particular Gigue starts with a D-natural pick-up, the third of the G major chord key that the suite is written in. The following measure then goes to showcase descending arpeggiating figures followed by sttacatto eights. The line then arrives at an embellished trill and ornamentation notes. At measure eight, the movement arrives at an end of a mini-phrase. The following E natural that functions as a pick-up note and returns to a similar theme to stack up into the ending with a descending D-major arpeggio. The first section than repeats to play the motif again. However, in many interpretations of this movement, the second time the repeat is played through, a noticeable dynamic change comes in play. This can be seen in Mischa Maisky’s performance recorded below. Though Bach never wrote any dynamics in his Bach Suites, many performers take the liberty of fabricating dynamics of their own and taking the liberty to do so.

Intro to Gigue

As silly as it may sound, this “personal liberty” has been a controversial topic for many Baroque musicians, especially cellists studying the Bach cello suites. The argument usually takes one of two sides. As music is an art form, does the player have the right to be able to deviate from the music and choose to interpret it as he pleases? Or, does the performer need to respect the musical ideas and intentions of the composer and stick to his writing like glue? Arguments for both sides are unnervingly compelling. in my personal studies, I have often fought myself over which is more important. Playing the music too extravagantly takes away from the meaning of the piece and is something that all cellists need to look out for. In Maisky’s case, asseen below, he is able to find a seemingly perfect balance between the two, deviating from the writing enough so that it contains his own musical thoughts but sticking to the writing enough that it still carries Bach’s original intentions.

As the Gigue concludes the first suite, the next writing will start the second Suite. As the semester continues, this idea of “musical” and “personal” liberty will arise more and more often and will be a center of debate in my future writings.

Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major (Minuets) (Passion 7)

After several dances, each contrasting in style and tempo, Bach employs the use of formatting diversity. The minuets are notable in many ways. It has a fast and skittish undertone, with constantly racing notes and moving rhythms. However, it is most notable in the fact that the Minuet is the only dance that is directly separated into two parts, a Minuet 1, and a Minuet 2. In Bach suites, he starts his first two with the minuets because, at the time, they were the most widely recognized form of dance. It was a waltz style jig that everyone knew, from the aristocracy to the proletariat. Due to its popularity in Western Europe, this compositional form was also popular with later composers such as Scarlatti, Mozart, and Haydn, who were able to take it and further expand upon it.

The first Minuet starts with the same G-D-B chord that begins all the previous movements, providing a sense of continuity throughout the entire suite. The minuet sets itself in a major chord with a more majestic and jolly tone. Three measure phrase then arrives at a climactic trill section at measure four followed by a series of grace notes. This first motif sets the idea of four-bar phrases that can be seen throughout both dances. Measures five to eight repeat a similar rhythmic section. Two rising eight notes followed by a quarter note that completes the chord. The line then proceeds to falling eighth notes that then resolve. At this point, it is worth stating how impressive and incredible it is that Bach is able to establish such patterns. In classical music, such style of musical patterns would not be commonly used until more than fifty years after Bach’s death. Below, Maisky demonstrates such patterns.

The second minuet, almost in direct contrast, begins in minor form. However, it continues the same four-bar phrase as shown in the earlier minuet one.  This time the phrases continue with straight eighth notes and falling quarter notes to supplement them.  The middle section of the 2nd Minuet is a very lyrical but sad section. The music continually baits the audience into sections where the human ear things that the music is going to resolve. However, instead of resolving the cadence, Bach tricks them and continues with an alternative figure. The piece then returns to the familiar first minuet. However, upon hearing the minor second, the perception of the recap is now entirely different.

Minuet 1 and 2

Notable Ted Talk (RCL 8)

Something that has always fascinated me is the extremist views of certain religious sects. What is the reason they have come to a certain conclusion about a certain thing? How are their views similar or different from other pious groups? How does their following affect them in day-to-day life? How are these groups influenced or not influenced by changing political opinions on controversial topics such as war and gay rights? Thus, I believe one of the most interesting TEDxTalks is given by Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the Westboro-Baptist Church, a notorious hate group in Topeka, Kansas.

The Westboro Baptist Church has made a sort of infamous name for itself in the most recent years. They have been known to praise the death of US veterans in the middle east due to their heavy anti-war stance and have often disrupted funeral proceedings of deceased military personnel. In addition, they are known to have an extreme hatred for homosexuals and anyone that supports their rights and civil liberties.

 

The reason I find this specific talk so interesting is that it comes from the perspective of not someone who had encountered the group and chose to talk about it, but someone who was once directly involved with and a part of the church and the group itself. I think that having a first-person account of an experience is really important to the overall understanding of the experience itself. Ms. Phelps-Roper provides a sort of primary source for the audience to be able to make valid interpretations with instead of only listening to the words of those that seek to antagonize the group.

 

Another reason this talk is so intriguing is the fact that Ms. Phelps-Roper mentions humility as part of the reason she left the group. At one point she speaks about “Dave, a person I had been having heated debates with” who came to visit her one day. This stuck out to me because as opposing as their ideologies were, they were still able to have a civil debate about it and over food. This then sets a direct contrast for Ms. Phelps-Roper. “People on the other side were not the demons I had been led to believe they were.”

 

All in all, this talk both illuminates into the life of a group that is shrouded in mystery as well as emphasizes one of the most important virtues of life, humility.

 

Unit Two (RCL 7)

Paradigm Shift Paper Idea,

Change in the conceptual importance of  higher education

In today’s society, it is noticeable that material sometimes plays a heavier and more important role than it should. This applies to education. People tend to see education less in its value of personal enhancement and more for what it physically gives a student, in many cases, either a degree, work reference, or the like.

I believe a good education consists of what one gets out of it mentally, not physically. Talk about the importance of developing traits of being self-reliant and how those traits can only be developed if education is used in the right way. RCL is a specific course that can help provide as an example.

 

Another topic that could be worth investigating is the noticeable, sudden change of pace regarding the public opinion of cases of sexual assault. Recent surges of celebrities and men in high places being charged with assault speak to a change in both roles and political viscosity.

 

Bach Suite No. 1 In G Major (Sarabande) (Passion 6)

Something that all the previous dances of this Bach Suite lacked was variety in tempo. So far, we have observed that all the previous dances had a tempo in common. All were presented in a somewhat jolly form. The Sarabande dance directly contrasts to that. The Sarabande begins with a characteristic eighth-note upbeat into a slow, pulsating rhythm. A very notable as[ect of the Sarabande dances are the noticeable pulsation and lean on the 2nd note of each measure. As one can see, the movement is written in a way that the player defaults to giving the 2nd note more, for the sake of phrasing. The 2nd bet of each measure also plays as a kind of multi-stop, giving it the quality of a chord without having to meet the specific requirements of a chord. At the third measure, Bach writes a D and F eight note followed by a dotted eighth with falling 32nd notes. The 4th measure, he introduces his second trill of the movement, this time, in D major instead of G. The movement then falls into a developmental section with 32nd notes rotating with sixteenths and eighths. After the repeat section, the movement enters into a new idea. All of a sudden, double stops are put back to back so to keep the audience on their toes with a simple cadential figure at measure 12. At measure 13, the movement begins its last run to the finish. Bach writes double stops again but this time, they are separated in a fashion that almost makes it seem as if there are two cellos playing at the same time. He writes then again with the rotating rhythms before ending on two quarter Gs.

 

The Sarabande dance also uses a lot more double-stop and chorded notes in comparison to the other dances. With a maximum of a quadruple-stop (as cellists only have a maximum of four strings to work with), the piece uses chords to help fully express its form and scope and cement it as a slow-moving movement with a great variety of tone. The very gentle, inviting nature of this movement contributes to the overall feeling consistent throughout the suite, that of warmth, resonance, and an altogether calm and friendly atmosphere. This is positive and satisfying music, simple but not simplistic, relaxing but not passive.

While a short movement, the Sarabande provides a sense of topical relief from the intensity of the previous movements. Maisky’s version of the Sarabande perfectly shows the peacefulness and natural serenity of the music.