True Story 4.12
University student from Kuwait
objects to American-style grading
The setting for this story
At the American University of Sharjah, based in the United Arab Emirates, the professors in the School of Architecture and Design are almost all Americans. Khaled, an undergraduate from Kuwait, penned this complaint about them.
A story of misaligned minds16
In the School of Architecture and Design, the projects that we must complete for the various courses all have similar guidelines. We students quickly figure out that, when the professors determine our grade for each project, one of the key factors is what they call “concept.” At first, we all were baffled by “concept.” Over time, however, we sensed that it refers to the professor’s opinion about how ingenious or clever a student’s design idea is. The more ingenious a design is in a professor’s judgment, the higher the grade he or she will assign.
I don’t understand why the professors do that. Sometimes I feel they don’t care about the number of hours we spend in that building, and the amount of work we do. They care only about individual creativity and innovation, not about each student’s effort. I really don’t like this.
Khaled’s question
Why do these American professors put so much weight on a student’s ingenuity or “concept”?
Critique of story 4.12
Apparently no one told Khalid that, if he attended an American school of design, he’d be judged according to certain bedrock virtues of the individualistic mindset: creativity and uniqueness.
Individualism isn’t only about a society’s prioritizing each individual’s needs and desires over their group’s. It’s also about that society’s expectations about each individual’s actions and the fruits of their labors. What is most revered by American sports fans: the team member who effectively coordinates on the field with his teammates, or the I’ll-do-it-my-way superstar? Yes, the good “team player” gets respect – think appreciative applause. But the superstar gets adulation! An MVP award. Lucrative product endorsements leading to their photo in magazine ads and on cereal boxes. Hundreds of thousands of jerseys featuring their number that sell out fast.
Similarly, when we individualists are evaluating another person, which trait is more likely to draw our admiration: the group member who fits in smoothly, or the one who in some way stands apart from the others? The former is warmly appreciated; the latter gets our sustained attention. By the way, our sustained attention isn’t only roused by a socially desirable quality (e.g., beauty), skill (e.g., singing), or behavior (e.g., dancing). Unique capabilities enabling socially undesirable actions also impress us (e.g., the convict who cleverly escapes from a maximum-security prison).
For Americans, a key indicator of another’s worth is the degree to which his or her brain can generate an idea, skill, product, or behavior that is fresh and unusual. And we don’t seek creative capacities only in adults and university students. Our quest for creativity is being applied to younger and younger students. I came across this report in the New York Times:
One of the demands made of eighth graders applying to public high schools in New York City is a portfolio that includes seven examples of original creative work. Those interested in certain art and design programs must also submit a pencil drawing of “an interesting scene of a character eating a sandwich in three phases.” Graphic design applicants must come at lunch from a different angle, conjuring a new neighborhood restaurant and designing a subway poster including a catchy slogan for its specialty sandwich.17
If Khalid wants to continue studying architecture and design under American professors, he’ll need to adapt to their insatiable expectation that he devise one original “concept” after another.
For thought
Knowing that many students from the Middle East and Gulf regions would attend their university, the leaders of the School of Architecture and Design could have provided entering students with an orientation program to introduce them, in part, to the individualistic values highlighted by this story. If such a program, knowledgeably planned, had been provided, to what extent do you think it might have prevented or soothed Khalid’s misaligned mind?
Related stories
Stories 1.19 and 4.15 examine the concept of originality from different perspectives. See also, in Chapter 8, the section entitled “Creativity and originality.”
Go to Chapter 1 Quick-Links | Return to Chapter 4 Quick-Links | Go to Chapter 7 Quick-Links | Go to Chapter 10 Quick-Links
Endnotes:
16 Al-Issa (2005), 166.
17 Bellafante, 3.
Full citations are available at misalignedminds.info/References.