The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher education

Introduction:

After I completed my military service Dec. 29th 2000 I enrolled majoring in law, after less than a year I dropped out for the counts of boredom and arduousity. In Sep. 2001 I enrolled to major in computer science, after three years in vain I dropped out for the counts of boredom and too theoretical approach. In Sep. 2004 I enrolled to major in history and minor in sociology, anthropology and multicultural education. Yesterday I represented my study plan of my Master’s thesis to the collegiums. Topic being: The Famous Last Words – a discourse analysis of the political, social and religious connotations of the last dying words, confessions and testimonies of those unfortunate malefactors executed at Tyburn during AD 1706 – 1788 accounted by the Ordinary of Newgate. Boring wouldn’t you say?

Question:

Next Tuesday I am a respondent of a bachelor’s thesis in anthropology topic being: Senses Without a Body – An anthropological survey of the notion of body represented by the shapesifters in Star Trek. In order to be able to respondent I am supposed to spend the next 25 hours familiarizing myself with the prime sources, that being watching the entire third season of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, the movies ST The Voyage Home, and ST First Contact, and to read a graphic ST novel, a book about the Physics in ST, a book about modern cults and of course read the actual study. HOW ridiculous is that? :roll:

I’m thinking pizza, beer and a movie night....

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

What is a "respondent to bachelor's thesis" ? What does a respondent to the thesis do?

I do not remember anything like that in my time of study... Well, maybe because I mostly did not care about philosophy (there are problems with teaching it in my university I think).

But, as a teacher, I asked a group of students to draw a sketch of a certain three-legged wooden contraption I have made for the lab (well, that was during laboratory experience in environmental monitoring, why not to check how they could monitor the environment with their eyes?)

I think they thought the task to be rather ridiculous.

They were unable to do it, of course. It was not as simple as they thought.

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

i find that a very educative assingment Sergio

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

In one of my Industrial Engineering courses, we designed children's toys. That was fun. We wanted to play with them, too.

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

Is it a support? It seems unstable.

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

Yes, its a support for a tube/column (not present on the photos, they were taken before I've brought it to the site) which goes through the central holes in triangle parts (actually, the support itself is assembled around the tube/column.) We have studied bubbles in that column.

It seems unstable because I've provided photos showing self-locking triangles (screw bolts are NOT necessary for them to hold) but not the overall view. If it looks uneven, it is due to distortion of the photos.

Can also be used as a coat rack!

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

I didn't think it looked uneven. I just thought it wouldn't take much to tip it. Perhaps the tube is secured at both ends?

It WOULD provide additional protection from impact. Or it would transfer the shock to the points of contact with the tube. Is the tube plastic or heavy-duty glass?

Is pressure against the tube required for the triangle? That too could be problematic.

Sorry. Sitra says there is no such thing as an ex-engineer.

I assure you I am not an Imperialist Capitalist Running Dog Spy. Please direct your answers into the flower on my lapel and smile for the camera.

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

the tube is plexiglass, filled with water, the idea was to hold the tube vertically while providing access to the lower end (where inlet for air is). The support is stable. If you look closely, you'll see that while being tall, its legs are widely spread where they touch the ground.

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

The height to base ratio appears to be over 3 to 1. Remember we ARE dealing with college students...

The presence of just one pretty female will increase the clumsy oaf factor enormously, even among the students. :dead::chick:

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

One should also consider where the centre of mass is. And with the tube installed it is below lower triangle. I think an inclination of about 10...15 degrees from vertical axis was needed to make it fall.)

Not if most of the students are pretty females, eh?

(And this was the case :kirby:.)

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

As long as it's just water, and there's no electronic gear nearby. Just tell everyone to show up in a bathing suit. :thumbsup:

(Assuming the tube results in a ratio of 3.5 to 1 and assuming the center of mass is halfway up, I get about 16 degrees from vertical.)

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

Are you familiar with the doctoral dissertation procedure? Where the respondent (yes, I noticed the bad translation, I was not the respondent, but the opponent) will present the finding of one’s study to the collegiums. The Thesis supervisor will act as a judge, the opponent as DA, the respondent as defense and the collegiums as the jury. After the debate the collegiums will rule, whether the study is valid (i.e. does it qualify as a scientific study and are the findings plausible) or not. Should it pass, the collegiums will grant the respondent the academic rank one was pleading for (i.e. bachelor, master, licentiate or doctor). This has been the scientific process to validate the findings of each and every scientific study in Europe, ever since the founding of the University as an institution. Did this clarify?

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

One word "opponent" would suffice, really, I am familiar with the procedure.

Thank you.

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

My bad, I admit. I tried the shortcut and used a translation machine, no wonder it backfired…

 

Re: The most ridiculous assignment you have been made to do in so called higher educa

The most ridiculous assignment? Statistics Bachelors thesis for my business degree.

It counted as a "class" all by itsself and we were supposed to be working on it throughout our final year, updating and refining it with the new things we earned along the way.

I, like most others, put it together in about 3 hours the night before it was due.
A bunch of numbers, really meaningless crap, that was required to get my degree.

One of only 3 "C'"s I got in my 4 years in college.

Now the most ridiculous "real" class I needed was Raquetball. Don't get me wrong, I loved the class, did learn, and got some great exercise too. But a Physcial Education class as a requirement for a Bachelors in Business? Ridiculous.