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Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: kaimipono on July 25, 2010, 03:04:59 AM

Title: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: kaimipono on July 25, 2010, 03:04:59 AM
Really! 

A professor received a memorable and extremely negative student evaluation, which he then posted to his blog.  (At one point, the student said that the entire class was an affront to God.) 

But more importantly for this forum's purpose, the student assumed familiarity with Brandon's work, and repeatedly compared class students to Elantris' Hoed in the written evaluation. 

(See http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/2010/07/a-student-comment-with-respone/ ). 

Whatever the merits of the student's complaint (and it did seem overwrought to me), it is 100% awesome that complaining students these days simply assume familiarity with Brandon's oeuvre as they lay out their gripes.  :)
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: Patriotic Kaz on July 25, 2010, 04:57:28 PM
After reading the article, I'm willing to bet that the student is exaggerating and probably rather right winged. It sounds like a battle between two extremes, and I'm learning to stay away from extremes and extremist.
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on July 25, 2010, 10:00:18 PM
I forwarded it to Brandon, and he was dumbfounded.

The teacher is a liberal at a very conservative university. But that's really beside the main point I got from it, which was that the guy's teaching method is snark. I doubt I would appreciate a teacher like that myself.
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: Obsessiforge on July 26, 2010, 04:10:03 AM
I'm imagining what it must have looked like when he got to that line

"Elantris? Hey, Trish, what's a 'Hoed'?"

"Isn't that some book that guy who teaches creative writing here sometimes wrote?"

"What? no, that's...War-born or something. Or was it Mistbreaker? ah, who cares, fantasy is for dorks"

also, I don't know who Trish is...besides the name of an old English teacher.

@Peter, when you say he was 'Dumbfounded', what exactly does that entail?
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on July 26, 2010, 04:24:25 AM
He said, "I'm rather dumbfounded."
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: Obsessiforge on July 26, 2010, 05:26:23 AM
Spoken like a true hero.
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: kaimipono on July 26, 2010, 06:09:25 AM
I think that's definitely the politics behind the student eval, which was unfortunate.  But it was great to see Brandon's work just casually dropped in alongside other authors and ideas that any reader ought to know - almost like a footnote aside that "for purposes of this essay, I will assume familiarity with the works of Rawls, Nussbaum, Solzhenitsyn, C.S. Lewis, and Sanderson."  :)
Title: Re: Brandon cited in caustic student evaluation
Post by: Wolfstar on July 29, 2010, 03:56:44 AM
He said, "I'm rather dumbfounded."

He has such a way with words.

I can't say that sarcastically and keep a straight face.