January 14, 2010
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Get free Students CJSW turns Longest money helping 25 standing students coach 4 8 11 18 News Features Arts Sports NEWS EDITOR: Photo by James Paton Zoey Duncan [email protected] Faculty members are being encouraged to attend out-of-town conferences and perform research in order to help the school live up to its new identity as a university. A plethora of research is underway, but other changes, like a new library, are going to take a lot longer. January 14, 2010 BRIEFS MRU one semester in shortlist of new Research and future opportunities come with growing pains A logo designs for MRU will be available to by Zoey Duncan experiencing following their said she thinks the new general students’ goals have changed, view and comment on News Editor change to university status last education requirements add “a and they are enrolling in from Jan. 14 to Jan. 21 semester. lot more stress” for students, on programs that they’re interested on the myMRU website. One semester into Mount “This is the kind of thing that top of worrying about getting in, and can build their lives Input from the MRU Royal’s new existence as a people fight duels in the parking value for their money from around. university, plenty of changes lot over,” MacDonald said. newly developed courses. “The stigma of us being community will be are underway, and many more New research is underway Even with a bit of confusion, second choice to U of C has used to fine-tune the are brewing within faculties and throughout general education courses declined,” Giancarlo said. new logo, which will be The school has changed the school. MacDonald is one provide an opportunity MacDonald agreed that the phased in around mid- beyond recognition since Ron of 10 faculty members doing for students to get a more quality of education at Mount February. MacDonald began teaching research for the Institute for interdisciplinary education, Royal is becoming apparent to at Mount Royal. MacDonald, Scholarship of Teaching & which Giancarlo said is moving a wider community. “[MRU] an associate professor of Learning, where the research in the right direction. has the added advantage of till scrambling journalism, said when he includes examining how Giancarlo is a sessional having classrooms that won’t Sfor textbooks? If started 25 years ago the student students learn. MacDonald’s instructor who is on a contract hold more than 35 students,” he you’re looking for used, population of what was then research focuses on and paid per course. She said said. but can’t find it at the called Mount Royal College was understanding how journalism that while contracted professors Mount Royal’s reputation as only about 4,000, compared to students think and practice are “totally cheaper” for the a formidable post-secondary bookstore or Copywrite, today’s 13,000. All classes took on their way to becoming institution, they’re not in the option has led to an increase in check out the “MRC place in the main building – the journalists. best interests of students. applications. Textbooks!” group on only building – and all students MacDonald said that the “We’re less versatile for the “One of the [new] challenges Facebook, where plenty were working towards diplomas ability to do research and spend students than the students is the grade expectations,” said of fellow students are in their respective fields. time thinking about what he’s would like,” she said, noting Delamont. She said that with “It should have been a teaching was something that that she would like more more applicants for programs, hawking their old books university ten years ago,” said was missing before. research opportunities available only the students with the below cost. MacDonald. Even with a new emphasis for students who want to do highest grades are getting Today at Mount Royal on research, there is still a high fieldwork. accepted. In some programs, University, “there is a value placed on the needs of Another potential such as the bachelor of business eeping up with tremendous amount of activity,” students. disadvantage of contracted administration (BBA), an he said. Various faculties are “Definitely the university’s professors, according to average of 72 per cent in high Kthe Joneses: Nova rolling out the courses that they focus is on students and on Giancarlo, is that their names school classes used to suffice, Scotia is Canada’s have spent so long creating, teaching,” said Erin Delamont, don’t appear on the course but now students require 82 per “University Capital” with new institution-wide learning VP Academic for the Students’ schedule when students are cent. 11 universities crammed outcomes are being developed, Association of Mount Royal choosing classes. Delamont, who is pursuing into the country’s and research projects are University. She said that “You guys (students) a BBA herself, said that within underway throughout the professors are always expected are consumers,” she said, planning committees there is second-smallest institution. to maintain a high quality of including that students strong focus on the new library. province, which has a Some of the changes at the teaching, and it’s not sufficient should be able to shop around “It’s really up in the air still,” population smaller than institution are more apparent for them to do only research. for the best value for their she said. “[The library is] one Calgary. than others. Those people at the “We’re very unique in that way.” class by reading reviews on of the things we were most front of the classroom who used Other changes include ratemyprofessors.com. nervous about.” to be called instructors are now higher costs for courses and Some changes won’t affect While there is no solid date known as associate or assistant new requirements for students present students, but will for the completion of a new professors, depending on their who are pursuing bachelor’s impact on who will comprise library, Delamont said if she tenure, said MacDonald. degrees. the future student body. had to estimate, she would say He said was surprised by “It’s really confusing for Giancarlo said that in her early it could be open in 2014. how smoothly the transition students, I think,” said Chris days of teaching, the priority How well is Mount Royal in titles went compared to Giancarlo, an associate professor for students was getting an living up to its University the difficulties that faculty at of anthropology. Giancarlo, who education that would lead to status? Have your say online at Grant MacEwan University are has taught at MRU for 18 years, a good job and wage. Now, thereflector.ca. January 14, 2010 • THE REFLECTOR 3 Accio bestseller! MRU profs take an academic approach to Harry Potter Photo Illustration by Zoey Duncan Harry Potter’s World Wide Influence is a collection of essays covering a range of topics such as punctuation, character development, the ethics of informa- tion sharing and xenophobia throughout the prolific Harry Potter series. by Katie Turner Patterson said she had put together a series Patient, an English professor, and Street, Publishing Editor of academic papers, known as Proceedings of the chair of aviation, chose their topic after While the original target audience for the Accio 2008, prior to the conference. watching the fifth Harry Potter film togeth- wildly popular Harry Potter series may have Following the conference, she decided er. been children, it’s clear that it has transcend- to double the number of essays in The “It was a mutual decision I think,” Patient ed the adolescent world and even made its Proceedings and publish those as a book. said. “We were watching one of the Harry way onto the Mount Royal campus. In total, Harry Potter’s World Wide Potter films together and we both thought Four MRU professors have contributed ac- Influence, which was released in ‘I see images of the Holocaust in the film’… ademic essays to a recently published book, and it is, at times, quite obvious in both the titled Harry Potter’s World Wide Influence, films and the book.” which will officially launch with a party on With their mutual interest on the subject Jan. 21. “I mean [there] is a and Street’s background in Holocaust stud- English professor Diana Patterson not ies and film history, the two began working only contributed an essay on the subject of huge, worldwide on their essay. linguistics, but edited the book as well. She “After we presented the paper in Oxford explained that the idea to publish the essays impact from these at the Accio Conference we had the opportu- as a book stemmed from a Harry Potter con- nity to publish and have our paper selected ference two years ago, but her love for the books and we need for publication…and we ended up develop- series began much earlier. to do more academic ing it over another year in order for it to be Nearly 10 years ago, Patterson was asked published,” Patient said. to teach a course on the history of publish- studies on it.” Street said that she hopes Harry Potter’s ing, and while preparing for that class she World Wide Influence is able to reach a lot of discovered J.K. Rowling’s books. people and introduce a new way of thinking “In 1999, there were people beginning Kori Street about the seven-volume Potter series. to talk about the phenomenon of this book “I think there are some very interesting called Harry Potter, so I thought ‘Oh, a pub- papers in the book and I hope to see it get lishing phenomenon, I better read this book widely read,” Street said.