8. Speak your mind

(a) American students spend about 15 hours each week in class, thus the emphasis is made on their individual research under supervision of a professor. How many hours a week does a Ukrainian student spend in class? Apparently, Ukrainians still consider a teacher to be the main source of information, unlike Americans who are not that teacher-bound, after all information is available from a variety of sources – books, CD-ROMs, the Internet. Which tradition do you find more fruitful? Could we painlessly adopt the American system? Give your grounds.

(b) In comparison with Ukrainian students their American counterparts are more flexible in their choice of subjects. Should the curriculum be set in stone? If you were to prioritize what subjects would you leave out? Which will you add?

(c) You major in American literature; consider the list of subjects in the college catalogue, select the ones you would sign up for. Give your grounds.

• General philosophy

• Realism in the novels by Charles Dickens

• History of the USA

• The Voice of Emily Dickenson

• Stylistic analysis of poetic text

• Logic

Higher Education in the USA

UNIT 8

I. Before you read

Wise People Talk

Discuss the quotations in groups. To what extent do you agree with the authors?

• The freshmen bring a little knowledge in and the seniors take none out, so it accumulates through the years.

Anonymous

• Like so many aging college people, Pnin had long ceased to notice the existence of students on the campus.

V ladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977)

Phrase Bank

• We need to be very careful in making the judgment;

• What can be said with certainty is that…

• The biggest worry is that…

• What’s even more difficult to express is…

Higher education in the usa: who is who

A. THE LEARNERS

II. Read the text with an eye for the vocabulary units in bold; come up with their explanations and translations.

graduate (n)

undergraduate (n)

study(work) towards a degree/ pursue a degree

freshman

sophomore

junior

senior

full-time student

part-time student

special student

The student body of the university is divided into graduates and undergraduates. Undergraduates are studying towards their bachelor’s degree, they belong to one of four classes – freshman (1^st year), sophomore (2^d year), junior (3^d year) and senior (4^th year). Graduates have already received their bachelor’s degree and are pursuing their master’s or doctor’s. A full-time student is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in a semester; a part-time student is enrolled in fewer classes. Most institutions admit special students who take a number of courses but do not work towards a degree.

III. After you read

1. Complete the diagram using the vocabulary units from the box

doctor’s degree

4. ……………. 5………………….

(1-2 or more years)

pursuing an advanced degree

bachelor’s degree

senior

3 ………. Undergraduate level

sophomore (4 years)

1. ………… pursuing the 2…………………

Higher education

P rospective student/applicant

High School

master’s degree junior first degree graduate level freshman