Some of you know I have a daughter in her first year of college. The Kid attends Santa Barbara City College. She had a 1310 on the SAT, scores of 4 on her AP Lit and APES tests, and a 3.5 (ish) GPA in high school. But, she really wanted to go to UCSB and didn’t get in, so this was her solution.

Since I’m always thinking about what my students are going to encounter in the next stage, I’ve been fascinated by what she is (and isn’t) seeing.

First of all, The Kid has teachers who absolutely forbid any electronic devices to be in class/ lecture. If they see devices, students are asked to leave class and receive no credit for any of the day’s activities, including quizzes or tests. Originally, she had thought that she would be bringing her laptop to school every day, but after the first week, she has not brought it once. So, what does this mean for my own students? Maybe nothing. Maybe she goes to the only school in America where they still take notes by hand. But, if there are a couple of other backward places like Santa Barbara City College where my students might go, I think I should be encouraging both new-fangled and old-school styles of approaching and managing note-taking (and their lives).

Secondly, she is currently taking a philosophy course that is challenging in both content and pace. They have had seven lectures so far this semester, and the following is half of the study guide for the midterm that she just took exactly one month in.

Explain Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and how it relates to epistemology. You have to understand what epistemology is as well as know the allegory of the cave. Relate the story of the cave to how we might perceive reality today. Use political, historical, or religious examples regarding the treatment of the escaped prisoner. Why did he return and why was he treated as he was?

1. Why does Plato posit a world of Forms? In your answer, describe his Dualism and how such a theory helps explain how we can have certain knowledge. Explain how he distinguishes between appearance and reality.
2. What was the form of skepticism employed by Descartes and what was his purpose in using such skepticism? What fundamental truth did Descartes arrive at through this reasoning and how did he defend his conclusion? Be sure to include all of the steps he made to get to his indubitable truth.
3. Explain the analogy of the Brain in a Vat or the Matrix movies to Descartes’ method of doubting. If you knew there was a virtual and a “real” reality, how would you convince others?
4. Explain fully Locke’s distinction between primary and secondary qualities. In your answer, include a discussion of Locke’s Representative or Indirect Realism and explain how it differs from Direct Realism. Also address the problems Locke’s indirect reasoning could lead to. Include the Magritte painting in this last part.
5. How does Berkely critique Locke’s primary/ secondary distinction? Briefly explain his form of Idealism in response to Locke’s Indirect Realism.
6. What is the Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis concerning language and epistemology? Use examples from Begley’s article and especially Scott’s paper on Rosario Castellanos feminist critique of the dominant language.
7. Explain Pinker’s argument against the Whorf Hypothesis. What is Pinker’s theory? Do you believe that thought is dependent upon words? In other words, do you agree with Whorf or Pinker? Explain and defend your answer.
8. I am thinking of my U.S. History students, who read about something in their textbook, and then I reference it in class, usually involving slides, and then they might watch a video about it or they might analyze some primary documents related to it. I try out all of these ways to make the material approachable and memorable. I think I’m teaching for content depth, but if college is looking for ability to learn and process material for breadth, I’m not sure I’m getting them ready.