Academia Ghetto Thread

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am cloistered in the honors commons until my evening meeting.

One of the freshmen is breathlessly offering me advice on making sure classes will transfer. I don't have the heart to tell her to stick it up a tree.

[LMNO]

My professor should be fine with it, if its the one who actually set the question who does the marking.  During our "terrorism in history" classes, only two of us showed up for the final tutorial, myself and another student.  We had a nice, long chat about the Eastern Front in WWII, and how much of a horror show that was.

The question is whether he does the marking.  Electives module is kinda shit in that regard, a new lecturer every two weeks.  Also the whole field of historical terrorism is considered suspect by some people.  But I'm mainly concerned further down the line.  Israel is a big source of counter-terrorism and terrorism studies funding.  And while the pro-Israel crowd are not quite as vocal or crazy in the UK as they are in the USA, they're still pretty vocal at times.

I've decided to add a small section on the French, just to ease people's concerns.  After all, if I'm going to call the French Resistance terrorism, I'm clearly using some other standard than "dark-skinned foreigner with a beard", although French people often do match that description.

That premise sounds amazing, and I heartily support it (as if my opinion means anything).

I do see why you'd have to tread lightly, though.  I can only imagine some point in the future where you're being vetted for some IR work, and they come across the paper.  If a twitter comment can lay waste to a reputation, just think what a well-written paper can do.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

At least a paper offers context and explanation, although one can nonetheless assume that stupid and/or manipulative people will take quotes out of context.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

There's a goddamn power outage on campus today. Apparently Portland's power grid just can't handle all this sunny, mild spring weather.

[Reginald Ret]

WARNING: Hopelessly boring post ahead.

I just mapped out every class I'm taking for the next year in order to graduate on time, hoping, that is, that there are no weird scheduling conflicts that completely fuck me over.

This is what that looks like:

Spring 2015
Cell biology + lab
Cognitive neuroscience
Scientific Ethics

Summer 2015
Elementary microbiology + lab
Intro to psychopathology
Sustainability & permaculture immersion in Peru

Fall 2015
General Ecology
Microbiology + lab
Physics
Honors thesis workshop

Winter 2016
Neurophysiology (yes, more neurophysiology)
Conservation Biology
Other science (probably an online geology class)
Work on thesis

Spring 2016
Recombinant DNA techniques & lab
Biochemistry
Whatever psych class fits my schedule
Finish thesis

Having a schedule makes me feel secure.
It probably won't go that smoothly, though.

Hey if I hop on a plane now, can you hide me in your book bag and sneak me into all your classes?
Those sound interesting.

We're allowed to have service animals, and there are very few restrictions... maybe I can just convince them you're my Anxiety Belgian.

OK, i'm going to put my money where my mouth is.
IF you get them to send me a letter on official Uni paper saying you can bring an Anxiety Belgian as a service animal THEN I will fly over to join you in one of your classes.
PM me for a mailing address. (yes I want it in dead-tree format)

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

WARNING: Hopelessly boring post ahead.

I just mapped out every class I'm taking for the next year in order to graduate on time, hoping, that is, that there are no weird scheduling conflicts that completely fuck me over.

This is what that looks like:

Spring 2015
Cell biology + lab
Cognitive neuroscience
Scientific Ethics

Summer 2015
Elementary microbiology + lab
Intro to psychopathology
Sustainability & permaculture immersion in Peru

Fall 2015
General Ecology
Microbiology + lab
Physics
Honors thesis workshop

Winter 2016
Neurophysiology (yes, more neurophysiology)
Conservation Biology
Other science (probably an online geology class)
Work on thesis

Spring 2016
Recombinant DNA techniques & lab
Biochemistry
Whatever psych class fits my schedule
Finish thesis

Having a schedule makes me feel secure.
It probably won't go that smoothly, though.

Hey if I hop on a plane now, can you hide me in your book bag and sneak me into all your classes?
Those sound interesting.

We're allowed to have service animals, and there are very few restrictions... maybe I can just convince them you're my Anxiety Belgian.

OK, i'm going to put my money where my mouth is.
IF you get them to send me a letter on official Uni paper saying you can bring an Anxiety Belgian as a service animal THEN I will fly over to join you in one of your classes.
PM me for a mailing address. (yes I want it in dead-tree format)

Oh ho HO. It's on like Donkey Kong. 

[Ⅎuᴉzz]

If they (and you) actually play along with that, you might wind up going viral and starting a new trend of 'Anxiety Belgians'.
I'm starting to want one already and I don't even understand why.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am pretty sure that not only can I make it happen, but that I can get credit for it.

[Ⅎuᴉzz]

I am pretty sure that not only can I make it happen, but that I can get credit for it.

"Get your Anxiety Belgian™ today!"

[Eater of Clowns]

That's not just a niche market, that's an industry. Registering anxietybros.com.

"I don't know, I just don't think I'm prepared for this presentation. A board member is going to be there!"

Pan left, to mildly disheveled but amiable young man. He places a hand on the speaker's shoulder. "It's cool, brah, you got this."

"Thanks anxiety bro!"

[Ⅎuᴉzz]

Beautiful.

[Reginald Ret]

I am pretty sure that not only can I make it happen, but that I can get credit for it.

Shit.

I'm actually going to have to do this, I know how you get when it comes to furthering your academic career. 

I will start saving more money.

[Cain]

Looking foward to my next set of essays...I'm currently leaning towards "Competing analyses of al-Qaeda give rise to competing counter-terrorism responses – Discuss".  Theories on Al-Qaeda?  Sure, I can name 4 different ones off the top of my head.  Hell, I can name an author who gives 4 in the intro to his book, and I'm not including him in that first count.  I mean, we all know it'll basically come down to Sageman versus Hoffman and "bunch of guys" versus "clandestine cells commanded from the Khyber Pass", but getting there will at least not want to make me tear my teeth out in frustration.

As for the other one, I'm leaning towards "To what extent do Richard English's seven policy recommendations in Terrorism: How to Respond apply when conceiving responses to far right terrorism and political violence?"  It's a bit dull, but the problem with the elective essays are that they're a lot shorter than the others.  As such, it's easy to get carried away, try to show off, and end up having to cut most of it and hand in a substandard paper instead.  Which is precisely what happened with my Nazi paper.  Either that or I'll go for "To what extent have governments been 'blind in the right eye'?"

[LMNO]

I have to say, I really liked your economic analysis in the AI thread.  To me, the non-ideological motivators and deciding factors rounds out the actors, and offers insight into what seems like a very silly narrative.

[Cain]

Thanks.  It is, of course, only one factor among many, but it's one to consider.  They own oil fields, and are smugging priceless artifacts out of Syria.  Obviously, there's a means to an end element to that, you need money to wage war etc. but it's also quite likely a factor in and of itself for some people in ISIS.