Does ‘The Chair’ Show What American University Life Is Like?

 

The Chair is a new program about life at an American university that might be of interest to foreign students coming to the United States.

The main actor in the show is Sandra Oh. In The Chair, Oh plays Ji-Yoon Kim, an English professor at a fictional¹ college in the northeastern U.S. When the show begins, Kim is in her first days as the leader, or chair, of her department. She is the first woman to have the job.

Kim oversees² a group of professors and also talks often with another official of the university, a dean. They discuss many issues. These include: how to increase the number of students in English classes, how to add more professors of different races and ethnic³ groups and whether older, unpopular professors should keep their jobs.

The show brings up problems facing college professors and their leaders in 2021. It talks about how Black professors feel while working at schools where the students and teachers are mostly white. It talks about whether universities should change the system of offering tenure⁴ to professors. And it asks if professors should have the freedom to teach the way they believe they should.

It also looks at the trouble Kim has dealing⁵ with her job and her home life. She is a single parent of a young, adopted daughter and has a retired⁶ father who lives in the same town. Oh's character speaks Korean with her father and tries to teach the language to her daughter.

All the issues come up in just six programs. The show is not real and is a comedy. It is not trying to be a real record like a documentary. But it does present real problems at colleges.

So, how well does The Chair show life on a college campus in 2021?

Jay Belsky is a professor of Human Development at the University of California-Davis. Belsky started his work in higher education in the 1970s when he completed degrees at Cornell University in New York.

He said the stories presented by The Chair are close to life on a college campus in 2021. However it is unlikely all the difficult events would happen at once.

In addition, Belsky said Pembroke, the fictional college of The Chair, only represents the environment at a small number of U.S. universities.

"While some of the ‘woke-ness' and political correctness is at all of them, it's probably a lot more intense and apparent and all-encompassing at those elite⁷ of elite schools."

Shera Bhala is in her final year of study at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Dartmouth is one of the oldest colleges in the U.S. and an Ivy⁸ League school.

Bhala wrote about The Chair, for The Dartmouth, the student newspaper.

In her report, she wrote that the show captures the "peculiarities⁹" of life on a college campus and noted¹⁰ that it balances being a comedy with "tragic¹¹ realities." She also commented that the outdoor scenes from The Chair reminded her of Dartmouth although the show was mostly filmed in Pennsylvania.

Is The Chair good to watch for a student considering study in the U.S.? Bhala thought of her mother, who grew up in Malaysia. She said her mother often asked whether life at an American high school and college was like the life shown in movies and television.

"Yeah, I think for a student from Asia or anywhere outside America, I think it could be a very interesting show to watch."

Bhala approved of the show's attempt to show an Asian woman as a university leader. She noted that U.S. universities are currently "having really important conversations about diversity."

Oh's parents came to Canada from South Korea in the 1960s. Speaking to the Associated Press, she said it was important that her character had a Korean first name. Her best-known television characters have been named Cristina and Eve.

"To be actually able to put a Korean name and have all the characters say your name. It really appealed to me," Oh said.

The Chair is the first movie or television show in a number of years to tell a story about a professor at an American college. Some critics said it is the first to do so since The Wonder Boys. That film came out over 20 years ago.

The Chair shows two sides of Kim's life: as a university leader and as a single parent.

While Bhala is a young person, she has experience with academia because she followed her father, who is a professor at the University of Kansas.

She said she is glad the show tries to show current college life.

"The show definitely has kind of this current perspective which was refreshing¹² to see in a show about academia."

Belsky, the Human Development professor, said it is important to remember that Kim leads the school's English department. He proposed that a show about engineering or chemistry might be very different.

"So, I think you really have to make a distinction between the humanities and social sciences versus¹³ the rest of the campus."

Belsky also proposed that while the show is getting noticed, it is possible that it may only connect with a small percentage of Americans. Not many people in the U.S. attended schools like the one in The Chair.

Bhala thought one part of the show was overstated: The idea that older professors are out of touch and unable to connect with the current college students.

"I've been really lucky to have professors who are energetic, brilliant and like on top of any new developments in their fields."

Words in This Story

fiction –n. written stories about people and events that are not real

tenure –n. the right to keep a job, especially the job of being a professor at a college or university, for as long as you want to have it

adopted –adj. a child who is legally the child of parents other than the birth-parents

character –n. a person or being who appears in a story, book, play, movie or television show

comedy –n. a play, movie, television program, book, that is meant to make people laugh

campus –n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school or similar organization

woke –adj.(political) a feeling of knowing that social and racial problems exist and that they are important

political correctness –n. agreeing with the idea that people should not use language or behave in a way that could offend a group of people

elite –adj. the people who have the most wealth and highest position in a society

academia –n. the life, community, or world of teachers, schools, and education

perspective –n. a way of thinking about and understanding something (such as an issue or life in general)

humanities –n. areas of study (such as history, language, and literature) that relate to human life and ideas

brilliant –adj. much more intelligent than most people

1 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

2 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

8 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

9 peculiarities   

n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪

参考例句：

• the cultural peculiarities of the English 英国人的文化特点
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another. 他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

12 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

13 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。