Yesterday I found out that my writing class, the one in which students have to submit work to get into, the same class that has been occupying the same room since 1969 (I believe), is being cancelled next year. Why? The economy. Apparently the small size of the class isn’t financially feasible. Interesting, considering that within the past year, my university was able to build a 270,000 square foot building for Ivey business students and a shiny new residence that holds 1,000 students. Western University was apparently able to raise $111 million dollars to support the construction of the new business building, yet has the guts to cancel a small creative writing class that gives students (from any faculty) an amazing creative experience.
Remember my post about academia? Well my creative writing class, along with my feminism and ecology class offers students non-normative ways to learn and succeed. Unfortunately, there is a recurring theme within Canadian universities in which alternative teaching and learning is feared and undervalued. I’m just so heartbroken for the fate of this class, and my professor, who’s time and energy has gone into making the class what it is. It’s sad that it’s being thrown away. So angry at whoever made this decision.
December 5, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Reblogged this on Love & Rage and commented:
Really eloquent and important thoughts from my friend Kira on the crackdown on critical pedagogies in Canadian universities. The issue of how a university allots its money makes me angry as well…I see the new Ivey building almost every time I go to campus or come home. While the existence of the building or the spending of money on the business program is not really what makes me upset – it’s that then things like a specialized creating writing class is told that it is taking up too much money (i.e. too much space in the academy). It’s ridiculous. You can tell what a university values when you see where it’s money goes.