UBC ALUMNI • • E Spring 69
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Chronicl^^ • UBC ALUMNI • • e Spring 69 INTERACTION: NEW GOAL FOR UNIVERSITY TEACHING This advertisement is not published or displayed by the Liquor Control Board or by the Government of British Columbia. ''Not just for seafariri men Light'n dry Royal Marine Rum' for rum lubbers. Marine light Rum ^^| UBC ALUMNI • • Chronicle VOLUME 23, NO. 1, SPRING 1969 CONTENTS EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Frank C. Walden, BA'49, chairman 4 INTERACTION Stan Evans, BA'41 , BEd'44, past chairman New Goal For University Teaching Miss Kirsten Emmott, Sc 4 by Rosemary Neering Michael W. Hunter, BA'63, LLB'67 Dr. Joseph Katz, EiA, MEd (Man.), PhD (Chicago) 9 EQUAL J USTICE FOR ALL Fred H. Moonen, BA'49 by Clive Cocking Douglas C. Peck, BCom'48, BA'49 Dr. Erich W. Vogt, BSc, MSc (Man.), PhD (Princeton) 14 SMALL FLEAS ON A SICK DOG Mrs. R. W. Wellwood, BA'51 Eric Nicol on Drama 18 ALUMNI NEWS EDITOR Clive Cocking, BA'62 21 SCIENCE AND HUMAN VALUES Or, All That Glitters Is Not Progress EDITORIAL ASSISTANT by Ed Levy Susan Jamieson, BA'65 COVER 24 THE DOUKHOBORS Marv Ferg A Review by Clive Cocking ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Elizabeth Spencer Associates 26 FIFTY YEARS OLD AND SASSIER THAN EVER A Look At Today's Ubyssey by Keith Bradbury Published quarterly by the Alumni Association of The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. 29 SPOTLIGHT Business and editorial offices: Cecil Green Park, 6251 N.W. Marine Dr., U.3.C., Vancouver 8, B.C. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash. Postage 35 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE paid at Vancouver, B.C. The U.B.C. Alumni Chronicle is sent free of charge to alumni donating to the annual giving programme and 3 Universities Capital l-'und. Non-donors may receive the magazine by paying a subscription of $3.00 a year. cca Member American Alumni Council. INTERACTION New Goal For University Teaching by ROSEMARY NEERING, BA'67 rriHOSE WHO CAN, DO; those who *- can't, teach," runs the old saw. And it's growing increasingly fashio nable in the present university tur moil to suggest that not only can university teachers not practice what they preach, but also that their preaching leaves much to be desired. Professors, goes the complaint, are too often boring, incomprehensible and unapproachable. All except the one or two whom every graduate re members as The Good Ones. This winter, the University of B.C. recognized six such good ones, with the conferring of the first Mas ter Teacher Award, and the naming of five runners-up. The university's first master teacher: Dean Walter Gage, 63-year-old acting president, mathematics professor, and Dean of Student and Inter-Faculty Affairs. The award carried with it a prize of $5,000 which Dean Gage promptly gave to the Library to buy books for undergraduates. The runners-up, awarded certifi cates of merit: Sam Black, professor of art education; Dr. J. F. Hulcoop, associate professor of English; Fath er Gerald McGuigan, head of the Arts II program, and associate pro fessor of economics; Kenji Ogawa, assistant professor of Asian Studies; and Dr. David Suzuki, associate pro fessor of zoology. Outwardly, the six have little in common. But whether it's Dean Gage speaking from behind an or derly desk in his spacious and con servative office, or Dr. Suzuki, in a Nehru jacket, with his boots up in his cluttered cubbyhole, one thing is clear: these men are good teachers because they love teaching. And they are all concerned about their Peter Hulbert Guru-like, Dr. J.F. Hulcoop discusses D.H. Lawrence. profession, about its reputation, and about methods of improving it. *X3S-->-? Silk screen process is described by Prof. Sam Black in art education class. Professor Sam Black, Scots, prove—all teachers can become see why one should penalize the sandy-haired, full of enthusiasm and better." flowers and shrubs because they ideas explains: "Teaching is not What's lacking is motivation. aren't soil." He suggests the empha something you can switch on and There is a total absence of criteria sis on research has cheapened ac off. You must be willing to devote in the university on which teaching ademic endeavor. "Seventy-five per much energy and a great part of is consistently evaluated—and little cent of the articles published in your life to it." After the interview action on establishing any. There scholarly journals are garbarge. ends, Prof. Black still has his mind is the knowledge that promotion, They re a result of the tourniquet on teaching. The next day, he salary increases, prestige and posi applied by society and the senate writes a letter, explaining what tion too often have little connection and the academic part of the univer teaching means to him. with teaching prowess. There is the sity—produce or we don't pay you. "Teaching is art; art is teaching," fact that in the university hierarchy, Although President Macdonald did it reads, in part. "Teaching is an art, teaching comes low; the old truism a great deal in other fields, he did not a science. It involves so many of publish or perish still holds sway. nothing to discourage this attitude." subtle, immeasurable nuances in There is an awareness that high For someone like Dr. Hulcoop, personal and human relationships— school students entering university the publish or perish attitude is so many and varied forms of com suffer from blunted curiosity and exasperating. Not all research, he munication between people—both deadened imagination. And there is asserts, results or should result in verbal and non-verbal. University the suggestion that the same students publication. Most of it should go teaching might be improved if more who clamor for teaching changes are straight into the lectures a professor people would cease to be ashamed often the ones who refuse to do the is giving. "When I read much of of it and have the guts to become extra work the changes demand. the so-called research in English lit immersed in it and enjoy it." But there is also a remarkable erature, I can't help feeling that Immersed in it. Dr. Hulcoop unanimity that it's attitude, not most of my lectures contain better speaks of authors with a passion, money, that is the major problem. "I basic material; but I still wouldn't becomes so involved with his class hate to give comfort to Premier Ben submit them to periodicals for pub that he climbs, unaware, on a table nett, but there's a tremendous lication because they aren't good and sits cross-legged on it. Dean amount of money wasted at univer enough. Only the very best, the Gage says he's not interested in the sity," said one of the runners-up. really exceptional, should be given presidency of UBC—teaching comes And while class size and facilities space in print." first in his life. Father McGuigan are a factor in teaching, small clas No one knows quite how the over prepares a summary of the painful ses and improved facilities aren't the emphasis on research got started, lesson learned in Arts II—lessons sole solution. The first necessity is but Dr. Suzuki suggests it's partly a he learned along with his class. for a change in the attitude of senior result of the information explosion. And an ex-student of Prof. Ogawa academics in charge of promotions. "In the past, a man devoted his en says, "He's fantastic, just fantastic. "On this continent, research is tire life to one problem," he says. I've never seen anyone get so caught valued more than teaching," says "Now we crank out pieces. Many up in the teaching of a language." Prof. Ogawa, who teaches Japanese. groups are competing—racing each It's the first essential for excellence "It is traditional in Japan to stress other to the answer." in teaching: "You must love your teaching; the students would not let Prestige accrues through pub subject, your students, teaching. I it be otherwise. The stress on re lished research. Faculties and de don't know how you'd teach if you search must be remedied—but I do partments tend to value more highly didn't," says Dean Gage. not know how this can be done." the man who brings prestige through But all six are aware that natural Dr. Hulcoop confirms this view. research than the man who teaches talent alone will not produce large "Some members of the scholarly well. And somewhere along the line, numbers of great teachers. "It's not community should put research the distinction between good re just a biological gift," suggests Dr. first," he says. "We feed off them— search and any research at all is lost. Suzuki. "Poor teachers can im like plants from the soil. But I don't The man who spends most of his have either a carrot or a stick to lead Hulcoop describes a typical prob or to beat people into being better lem with students: "A lot of people professors," says Dr. Suzuki. "And in the English department have unfortunately the only weapons you abandoned some of their lectures for can use are money and promotions." seminars, and have been very disap Dr. Suzuki hopes that a second pointed in the results. Not all stu change in attitude would accompany dents seem ready to do the extra the first, namely that both the public work demanded by a seminar. I and the university administration dont suppose many students realize would give the faculty more free one of the most difficult tasks for a dom.