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行走的艺术,垃圾的乐趣,不同寻常的大学课程

时间:2017-12-25 18:15:11

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(单词翻译)

The Art of Walking, The Joy of Garbage, Unusual College Classes

How much can walking really teach you? Can you learn enough from walking to make an entire college class about it?

Kenneth Keffer thinks you can, and he should know. Keffer has been teaching1 a class called the ‘Art of Walking’ at Centre College since 2002.

Centre College is a private liberal2 arts college in Danville, Kentucky. In 2018, the school will offer the class for credit3 for about the thirteenth time.

Liberal arts education has been an important tradition in American higher education for hundreds of years. It aims to provide students with a wider understanding of the world and help them understand how different fields are connected.

In addition to a main subject of study, liberal arts programs require students to take other classes in related4 and, sometime unrelated, subjects.

Centre College is not the only university in the United States that offers such unusual sounding classes.

For example, George Washington University in Washington, DC offered a class called ‘Japanese Swordsmanship’ in 2014. In 2013, Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio offered a class called ‘How to Win a Beauty Pageant5.’ And the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has offered a class called ‘Wasting Time on the Internet.’

Yet Keffer says the unusual name of a class like his does not completely tell the full story of what goes on in the classroom. And the students take these kinds of classes because they want to know more.

“Our students are … as goal-oriented6 and career-oriented as any other students,” he told VOA. “Yet they’re fascinated7 by it and want to take it. Now, why? Well I think that they know that there’s something deeply human about walking and about its skill, its art.”

Keffer mainly teaches modern languages. But ‘the Art of Walking’ is really more of a philosophy class. There is a fair amount of walking involved: about 4 hours a day over several weeks. However, the students also read about intense8 philosophical9 theories from famous thinkers like Immanuel Kant and Martin Heidegger.

Keffer sees the walking as a chance for students to discuss and examine their difficult reading topics in a nontraditional way. Also, he feels that teaching students to enjoy the simple act of walking is very important. This is especially true as more people are involved in jobs and lifestyles where they are sitting most of the day.

For his efforts, the Carnegie Foundation11 for the Advancement12 of Teaching named Keffer its Kentucky Professor of the Year in 2010.

Critics argue against such course offerings

Critics of the American higher education system make arguments against such classes being taught at the college level.

Many list classes like Keffer’s as examples of why the American college experience can, in some ways, be a waste of time and money. They argue that colleges and universities should only teach things that relate directly to building a career.

But Stephanie Hughes agrees with Keffer in that this type of thinking is why people need to look beyond just the name of a class. Hughes works13 in the environmental studies department at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. She has taught a class called ‘Garbology,’ or ‘the Joy of Garbage’ there since 2010.

The class is all about how human society deals with its solid waste. Hughes says this may seem like a subject that only relates to someone interested in working in environmental management. But she notes people in many different careers have to face environmental issues.

“Every single person produces waste every day, and not just in their home but in the broader industrial community, agricultural community that they’re getting their products and services from,” she told VOA. “And I think it’s important if somebody’s … an economics14 major or a communications major … to consider this … and what it means for our society.”

Hughes argues that students need to have some understanding of many different subjects. They will never know when their job depends on something they thought was unrelated, she says.

Guanani Gomez-Van Cortright agrees with that reasoning. The 22 year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota began studying biology at Reed15 College in Portland, Oregon in 2014.

“I do have a lot of doubts about whether I’ll even … work in a lab,” she told VOA. “So … I’ve been thinking a lot about, ‘Well, how can I do other things in science, like … explaining or writing about science so that more people know what’s going on.’”

Gomez-Van Cortright says Reed offers a study program that lets her take classes in many different subjects. But most of all she enjoys an especially unusual Reed tradition called ‘Paideia.’

This is a special week before the beginning of the second half of every school year. During this week, professors, employees and both current and former students can teach short, non-credit classes on any subject they like.

In 2018, Gomez-Van Cortright plans on teaching a Paideia class on the food that Puerto Ricans specially10 prepare for the Christmas holiday.

She notes that a learning16 environment which exposes her to different people, ideas and ways of thinking is exactly what she needs. Will learning how to make a basket underwater, for example, help her decide on a career or find a job? Perhaps not, she admits.

But outside of Reed, Gomez-Van Cortright is not sure where else she will have such rich experiences along the way.

I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

credit – n. a unit that measures a student's progress towards earning a degree in a school or college

oriented – adj. interested in a given thing or activity

fascinated – v. to cause someone to be very interested in something or someone

garbage – n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out

society – n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

major – n. a student who has a specified17 main subject of study

doubt(s) – n. a feeling of being uncertain or unsure about something

lab(oratory) – n. a room or building with special equipment for doing scientific experiments and tests

expose(s) – v. to cause someone to experience something or to be influenced or affected18 by something

basket – n. a container usually made by weaving together long thin pieces of material


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1 teaching ngEziT     
n.教学,执教,任教,讲授;(复数)教诲
参考例句:
  • We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
  • He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。
2 liberal R17xF     
adj.心胸宽阔的;自由(主义)的;慷慨的
参考例句:
  • He has a liberal attitude to divorce and remarriage.他对离婚和再婚看得很开。
  • This country adopts a liberal foreign policy.该国采用的是开放的外交政策。
3 credit pOGzH     
n.信用,荣誉,贷款,学分;v.归功于,赞颂,信任
参考例句:
  • I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
  • He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉,我们做不讨好的工作。
4 related vkGzSv     
adj.有关系的,有关联的,叙述的,讲述的
参考例句:
  • I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
5 pageant fvnyN     
n.壮观的游行;露天历史剧
参考例句:
  • Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
  • The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。
6 oriented BmdzfY     
adj.以…为方向的;重视的
参考例句:
  • Our students are oriented towards science subjects. 我们教的学生都是理科方向的。
  • He oriented himself on coming to a new city. 他初到一个新城市,就使自己适应新的环境。
7 fascinated YtKzID     
a.被强烈地吸引住,感到着迷的
参考例句:
  • China has always fascinated me. 中国一直令我心驰神往。
  • The children watched, fascinated, as the picture began to appear. 电影开始以后孩子们入迷地观看着。
8 intense G5axf     
adj.认真的,专注的;强烈的;紧张的;热情的
参考例句:
  • Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
  • The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。
9 philosophical rN5xh     
adj.哲学家的,哲学上的,达观的
参考例句:
  • The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
  • She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。
10 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
11 foundation UijxD     
n.[pl.]地基;基础;基金会;建立,创办
参考例句:
  • The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
  • The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。
12 advancement tzgziL     
n.前进,促进,提升
参考例句:
  • His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
  • The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。
13 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
14 economics grzxZ     
n.经济学,经济情况
参考例句:
  • He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学,该学科是很重要的。
  • One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。
15 reed fAizT     
n.芦苇,芦丛,簧舌,簧片
参考例句:
  • The river banks were overgrown with reed.河岸长满了芦苇。
  • They inhabit reed huts built on stilts above the water.他们住在建于水中木桩之上的芦苇草屋里。
16 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
17 specified ZhezwZ     
adj.特定的
参考例句:
  • The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
  • It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。
18 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

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