[lit-ideas] Re: On Names and Respect
- From: Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:53:19 -0700 (PDT)
When I commenced my studies in the University of Sarajevo in 1989., the
convention was that the students addresses professors as "profesor," sometimes
followed by surname, and the professors addressed students as "kolega"
(colleague) sometimes followed by family name if they knew it. Also, "vi"
(similar to the French vous) was used on both sides. This did not always
prevent professors from being condescending, or students from being tiresome,
but generally respectful forms of address were the norm. Was it like this in
the Soviet Union ?
Later when I continued my studies in Israel, I found that the professors used
the students' first names rather freely, but it was never made very clear how
we should address them. I think most of us avoided naming most of the time,
thus getting around the address issue. Of course, vous does not exist either in
English (which we generally used in classroom) or in Hebrew (which was often
used outside the clasroom) so this wasn't an issue. However, Hebrew has
gendered forms of verbs, so when speaking to a professor in Hebrew it was
sometimes unavoidable to use gendered forms. ("Could you" is 'ata yechol' when
addressing a male but 'at yechola' when addressing a woman.)
When I was teaching university / college in China, I was sometimes bothered by
the fact that the students often used my first name rather freely (though I did
have some addressing me with 'sir', but these were few) while this was not so
with Chinese teachers / professors. They were usually addressed by their full
name (family name first, as is the Chinese custom) + 'laoshi' (teacher). On the
other hand, the Chinese teachers also addressed the students by their full name
(family name first), while I was invited to address them by 'English names'
i.e. pseudonyms such as Alice, Tracy and so on. So I arrived to the conclusion
that this this was a case of different cultural conventions being applied
rather than a form of bias to foreign teachers. However, in several cases of
students who did not wish to be addressed by 'English names' but instead wanted
me to use their full Chinese name I suggested that in that case they should use
"Mr." when addressing me.
Well, there you go.
O.K.
--- On Sun, 4/12/09, Walter C. Okshevsky <wokshevs@xxxxxx> wrote:
From: Walter C. Okshevsky <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: On Names and Respect
To: "Robert Paul" <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 8:54 PM
My undergrad students in the Faculty of Education are the most resistent to
calling me by my first name. I tell them on the first day that they may call me
"Walter," and if they have no objections, I will refer to them by their first
names, or a nickname, if it is not overly obscene. Philosophy students, on the
other hand, grad or undergrad, have no such difficulties.
It takes at least a couple of weeks for Ed. students to feel sufficiently
comfortable to call me "Walter." But on the final exam, they'll write the
Professor's name on the front page of the booklet as "Dr. Orlowski," or "Sir
Walter" or "Walter of O" or occasionally "Walter."
I strive to ensure that my relations with contemporary students are
sufficiently
free and easy for them to participate openly and sincerely in seminar
discussions. I admit to them, repeatedly, that I do not have all the answers to
the questions we consider together in class. This causes some anxiety in some
students since they wonder why they are being asked to answer questions to
which the professor isn't sure he has the right and final answer. Life is like
that when one abjures the safety and inauthenticity of powerpoint -a technology
that undermines Socratic virtues of conversation and Habermasian conditions of
discourse and democratic deliberation.
But there remains a dimension of formality between me and my students that Phil
Enns captures well in his recent posting. My teaching, and my seminars, are
distinctly different from chats at Tim Hortons, from conversations on Oprah,
and discussions in the student centre. I never socialize with my students until
after I've submitted final grades. I remain in contact with many of my students
from many years ago. But while they remain my students, I seek to maintain a
salient social boundary for educational purposes of impartiality.
I've been in the profession for over a quarter of a century. Not once over that
period of time have I had to suffer the indignation of allegations impugning
some aspect of my professional and personal character.
Walter O.
Still in the deep-freeze
Quoting Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>:
> Almost fifty years ago I found myself in a seminar on the Tractatus,
> offered by Max Black. (I believe we met once a week.) Black wanted notes
> kept of each week's discussion. These were written up by a designated
> student and fair copies made by the department secretary and distributed
> to the members of the class.
>
> There was a required format: Black, on first mention, was to be referred
> to as Professor Black; from then on he was to be referred to as Mr.
> Black. Students, on first mention, were to be referred to as Mr. (Miss,
> Mrs.) Watson (e.g.) and thereafter in this case simply as Watson.
>
> I have no idea what conception of class or rank lay behind these rules,
> which struck me as further evidence that Black was so remote from us
> that there could be little hope of our learning much from him or of
> discussing anything with him on even terms.
>
> He did though occasionally play chess with those who were good enough at
> it to give him an interesting game.
>
> Robert Paul
>
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