I used my classes as guinea pigs after I read abou...

2006-10-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

I used my classes as guinea pigs after I read about this study. I'm ashamed to admit that I expected to meet with similar results -- but I was surprised. I got right answers to everything I asked. Now, of course, this doesn't mean everyone in the room knew that Yorktown happened before Gettysburg, but at least SOMEBODY did.

Perhaps the artists were too much "baloney"-based.

I just want to add a factoid: I was giving an info...

2006-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

I just want to add a factoid: I was giving an informal, broad art history lecture at USC, and when I was showing some of Jacques-Louis David's paintings, I said that he was a big proponent of the French Revolution. So, I asked the class of 15 if anyone could give a BALLPARK estimate for the date of the French Revolution. No one could. So, I said, "Well, it was roughly around the time of the American Revolution, so when would that be?" No one had a guess. Now, some might say "Of course--it's an art class!" But this is a class filled with an astrophysics major, an astronautical engineer, and in general a vast minority are art majors. While not that surprised, I was still a little taken aback by the lack of any guess WITHIN 100 YEARS of the American Rev., since I took that to be the one and only historical thing anyone is taught. (Remembering the terribly sad Jumpa Lahiri story of the indian girl now living in Somerville and having to learn the American Rev.--and nothing else--4 years in a row.) Oh well.

Comments on Tragos: The American Scholar

I used my classes as guinea pigs after I read abou...

I just want to add a factoid: I was giving an info...