|
||||
|
Faculty Sponsor Numbers (CRN's) |
Faculty Interviews |
| ||
Interview with Pat KrafcikRecent Teaching History Recent and Current Areas of Interest Factors besides my own interests that have helped to shape
my thinking about what the center of my work is are input
from students, responses from students, my observations of
what interests students and, most importantly, what troubles
students. And that's the most exciting thing because when
something troubles us we are often strongly moved to explore
it and grapple with it. Both in the context of the Russia
Program and in my work on East Central Europe, I have discovered
that the students are extremely intrigued by culture, particularly
by spiritual culture and how it influences other aspects of
culture and the society. In the Russian context spiritual
culture has been supremely instrumental in shaping all other
aspects of culture, politics, and national identity. I am
interested in this because it so strong and distinctive in
Russia and Eastern Europe. In short, as we read history and literature we must examine spiritual history as well. At the same time, students are most often involved in their own kinds of spiritual searches. Ideas from our readings and from the students' contemplation meet and mix in class papers, seminars, and program activities. This intersection of spiritual, cultural, literary, and personal issues is frequently the center of my work with my students, and always proves to be exciting and nourishing for us all. Are there particular authors/artists/thinkers whose work you interested and which you often ask students to examine? The great nineteenth-century Russian writers are my favorite
source of inspiration, and since they are philosophers who
speak to many different groups, on many different levels,
about many different things, I love to find ways to bring
them into programs other than the Russia Program. Many twentieth-century
Russian writers like Evgenij Zamjatin in We and Mikhail Bulgakov
in The Master and Margarita are also magnificent in exposing
how spiritual, social, and political phenomena intersect in
the lives of people and societies. The Master and Margarita,
describing supernatural and demonic events in a Moscow which
has become Satan's playground after the Russian Revolution,
is, for example, a powerful novel to bring to any program
that takes seriously the question of good and evil. Outside
of the Russian sphere another really important writer/philosopher
for our century is the Czech Vaclav Havel. For those of us
who are concerned about Eastern Europe he is a brilliant thinker.
Kundera is also an important writer for thinking allowing
us to explore beneath the surface of an individual's psyche,
particularly when that individual is under stress. Are there specific areas of interest or issues you want to work with students on in the current year? I generally try to encourage students to do work within programs
if at all possible. Here they have built-in guidelines and,
especially, a community with whom to seminar and learn. Plus,
there are often ways within the context of programs (not just
in contracts) for students to set off and explore particular
areas of personal interest--through group projects and research
papers. Individual contracts can become rather lonely endeavors
and, I believe, should be undertaken only by advanced students
who are vitally interested in something they can't find in
any programs and who have very definite ideas about how to
approach their individual study and work. Specific Skills, Competence, Techniques: Teaching the Russian language is a major skill that bring
to my work here. I also enjoy working with students on writing
in my programs. I think that students find intriguing and
empowering the notion that pieces of writing--their own, as
well as the works of others whom they read for seminar--are
documents with an agenda. A piece of writing is designed to
affect its readers, to achieve some end. I encourage students
to approach every piece of writing with a kind of critical
distance that allows us to make an intelligent assessment
of the text. I want students to be able both to respond to
a text (books, films, and other media) emotionally and to
maintain some intelligent critical distance from it. This
is an enormously crucial skill to develop for life--reading
and thinking intelligently. What are key qualities you look for in student work? What techniques do you use to assess their work? How do you help students assess their work? Student work comes across in two forms to faculty, oral communication
in seminar and presentations and written work, and most faculty
assess both kinds. For me, good student work is work that
shows clear thinking, substantial thinking. It is also work
that demonstrates an attempt on the part of the presenter
or writer to be literate. I respect a speaker or writer who
cares about genuine communication with a listener or reader.
A well thought-out statement or oral presentation, a well
considered paper--these, when bolstered by clarity and proofing--I
assess highly. When I say this I don't mean that there is
always some absolute right or wrong way to do things, or that
I accept the "right" and reject the "wrong."
Students may formulate an argument that is really convincing,
substantial, supported with evidence. It may not be the argument
I usually adhere to or think is strongest, but through it
they might teach their peers and me something new. This is
immensely exciting! It is what ground breaking is all about.
Teaching Style:How would you characterize yourself as a teacher? I tend to get excited and passionate about the material that
I am working with, whether in the Russia Program or in other
programs in which I've taught. I suspect that sometimes I'm
so passionate about the material that I assume others feel
the same way and will work appropriately, in a manner that
corresponds to the excitement and passion generated by the
material. And actually most students are responsive to these
feelings. I try to support students by creating an environment
of trust, perhaps in a sense an enchanted environment, an
environment in which we experience learning, working together,
and growing as an exciting adventure. Once that environment
is created, I feel that we are making progress, and I think
that students can then handle the demands of the material.
What types of students tend to do well with you? Students who get excited and passionate about the work they
are engaged in usually are the ones who tend to do well with
me, and most students have the potential for that. The majority
of students who come to Evergreen come because they really
want to be here. They want to explore. Somewhere in their
lives they have had an inkling that this is a very exciting
thing to do, that it is, in fact, essential for life itself,
and I want to work from that vision. I like to see students
take the interest and passion that we feel and turn it into
some sort of productive work. Sometimes it is not exactly
the productive work I had in mind for them, but it is something
else that shows signs of intellectual activity and something
they have thrown their heart into. What types of students have a hard time with you? It is the rare student who doesn't find something in the
learning environment here that is exciting. The few students
I have encountered who cannot relate to our adventure here
are often preoccupied with other tough issues in their lives
that need resolution. Students who may feel the excitement
of the program but somehow can't sink their teeth into our
work are also sometimes difficult to deal with. I always hope
the best for my students as people, whether they stay with
me, go to other programs, or leave school to tackle other
tasks. What do your student evaluations say about the way you come across to students? Students often say that they feel I love what I am doing and that this love is infectious. They appreciate that I have an interest in their minds and lives. They are grateful to me and to any faculty who is willing to read their papers carefully and provide helpful feedback. Students feel I have a pretty good balance in seminar between intervention and respecting their turf. They like the fact that I strive to create a relaxed, comfortable, and non-threatening atmosphere in seminar where students aren't afraid to take risks. This does not mean that my seminars are "easy" or undemanding. It's just that in the process of enjoying our time together, we don't notice that a great deal is demanded and is happening. Expectations about Contracts, Internships, and Evaluations
I look for both enthusiasm and intelligence in students.
I must see evidence of serious thought, commitment, and self-discipline,
since the successful work of the contract depends largely
on the student's ability to work hard and stay focused. What information do you want to see when a person comes to look for a contract? I prefer a specific proposal with a substantive question or questions to be pursued, a book list, and some sense of how the students want to allocate their time. I look very carefully at the proposal for specific ideas and methods of approach to the work at hand. The more of all this that the proposal shows the more likely I am to want to work with the student. As I've mentioned before, I think contracts are best undertaken by advanced students who are unable to find a place to pursue their work in an existing program and are really self-motivated to do their contract.
|
|
|||
|
Last Updated: March 15, 2007 All content and images on this site are copyrighted by The Evergreen State
College. © 2008 |
||||
