I happen to take a visit at the school's website, and I never thought that what I'll see will entertain me a great deal:
AB in Political Science
"This Program concentrates on the theory and practice of government and
politics. It has two broad purposes: first to provide an excellent
liberal education in Political Science; and second, to prepare the
student for a professional career in government service or for careers dealing
with public issues and problems.The curriculum is designed to expose the students to a variety of course work and activities which will provide a broad understanding of the curriculum. dealing with public issues and problems. The curriculum is designed to expose the students to a variety of course work and activities which will provide a broad understanding of the curriculum. "
Okay. At the outset, I must admit that course descriptions are necessarily created out of motherhood statements.
first to provide an excellent liberal education in Political Science;
Oh well, what is "excellent liberal education in Political Science"? I can never be more curious of knowing what it is and how it was inculcated. I could have been happier if that liberal education is indoctrinated, at least I had become aware of its existence in the curriculum. After 4 years of sleepless nights from reading volumes of photocopied materials, denial of conducting seminars lectured by "liberal" and "radical" people, continuous psy-wars and bullying of polsci professors (majority claim to be all-knowing in the field) who are by the way unprofessional of being bullies and unreasonable of unabashedly throwing psy-wars to students just to make us "change for the better", I find the course description of the degree I earned as incredulously funny. Liberal education is already aborted inside the classroom.
and second, to prepare the student for a professional career in government service or for careers dealing with public issues and problems
For the record, there are only two subjects that are in touch in dealing with professional career in government service: public administration and planning methods; and three subjects related with public issues and problems: conflict resolution, environmental politics, and political dynamics. And except for the latter, all of which are fourth year subjects. Well, it is better late than never. But despite of being privileged to learn these things, I can dare you to ask any polsci students whether they are willing to have "a professional career in government service". I doubt if they are less disillusioned in government systems and public service than the vendors in Asturias. Thanks for the curriculum by the way for convincing us that this "damaged" society is already incurable.
As for the last two sentences, can someone refute me by saying that they are not redundant or tautological?
I suddenly thought of the increased fee for this school year that my parents are supposed to pay in installment basis in case I am a year younger than my age: P34,921.05, ranking second as the most expensive major in the entire AB (let me give credit to CA). With lesser (and less-interested) professors and the good-ol' curriculum, I could have voluntarily stopped schooling out of distaste. Something is really wrong - or should I say, everything seems to be wrong in Political Science of the Social Science Department.
Oh, speaking of being part of the "Social Science Department", I am also very fortunate to experience working and defending a qualitative thesis of about three hundred pages without being read by neither the adviser nor the panelists. We were lamenting then where does Karl Popper's "conjectures and refutations" go.
What have I learned after four years in polsci? It is the exemplification of one of life's most bitter cliches: Life is unfair.
By the way, for those people interested in law like me, polsci is a good pre-law for it teaches you in a hard way that justice is arbitrary.
Too bad, they could have just written my little polsci lessons as the course description.