Oxford and ethnicity : what do they care?

I would never have gone to a gym class during the day - I couldn't risk my hair getting messed up!

I'm not sure if we are/were required to take a gym class at uni or not, but I'm a varsity athlete again so I think I could get out of it if I wanted. Luckily, the gym classes are better - last term I trained for and competed in my first triathlon with a great coach. I wish she taught that class every term.

I forget about the american uni system and it's prescriptiveness; I prefer it in some ways but not if it involves compulsory sport!

sounds like laziness to me.

Now you're going to say i'm cheap

Well you very well might be, but I would never say that to your face (at least not until i knew you well)!

Anyway, I'm not even sure if gym is compulsory (and it certainly varies uni to uni), and even if it is there are tons of classes to choose from. It's really not bad.

Hmm, when are you an adult in america? Seems odd to force people to exercise if indeed they do. We shall see (as long as they do fencing i'm fine)

at my uni we do have a pretty good fencing club. I've never tried it, but I do go out of my way to make fun of 'em.

I expect fencing will catch on more in the next few years since the Americans swept the medals in Beijing.

Anyway, uni isn't the same thing as being an adult - you submit yourself to the uni's requirements, or the uni doesn't confer a degree. It's really not that complicated.

Isn't like that here. Besides; I can quite happily tell my uni where to stuff their degree and go somewhere better to be honest. The joys of good grades

Well you can do that here, too. It just never occurred to me that someone would be so hostile to the occasional workout.

I'm not... I'm hostile to being bossed around

If you think flexible curriculum requirements are equal to being bossed around, then it's a good thing you're not at an American university.

No I just don't really get the system. I go to university because I want them to teach me my subject - I don't go there to be told I have to do anything else. I understand that you don't apply for a particular subject at an american university but i'm surprised as how school like it is.

We stop having anything compulsory past attending your chosen classes once we are 16.

Is it, in fact, just an excuse for PE teachers to try and call themselves professors?

It's a little more complicated than that. You can be admitted to university without knowing what you want to study because many focus on liberal arts education - that is, you graduate knowing a little about a lot of things rather than a lot about any one thing (there are exceptions, of course). The degree may not give you a high level of expertise in a field, but it shows a certain ability to follow through with what you started.

Having double checked, we don't have a requirement for gym. We do have lots of other requirements, though - an english, two semesters of foreign language (my department requires 4), a certain level of math, at least one class in performing or studio art, etc.

The requirement that's bugged me most is that you have to pick between a religion or philosophy course, and we've had no classes in those disciplines that interested me and also fit into my schedule. Luckily we have a trip to Greece next semester that I can use to fulfill that requirement, so I narrowly escape in my final term.

The requirements can be annoying, but it is what it is. In the long run, probably no better or worse - just different. Plus it's 4 years instead of 3, so you have more time to do it all in.

Aww that does just sound so nice - I knew a little about it because of people i've met and spoken to but didn't quite understand it. You major in a particular subject I presume (hence your department?). Luckily for me my degree is 4 years - but still only focusing on 3 subjects!

Do you know whereabouts in Greece you are going - or are you going all over?

Yeah, we major in a particular subject, and it's not uncommon to double major or to have a minor or less often students do more - major and double-minor or double major and minor, essentially being fairly fluent in up to 3 disciplines. I've never heard of anyone completing more than that, though, because the "core curriculum" (compulsory classes) take up quite a bit of time. I have two majors - International Relations and Studio Art - and a minor in Economics. I wanted to double major with Economics and IR, but classes in the Econ department and the IR department are usually offered at similar times, so it was virtually impossible. And of course outside your core curriculum classes, there are compulsory and optional classes for your major that may be outside your field but are deemed relevant. The 4 semesters of foreign language study, for example - not my field, but required for IR. Also relevant (mostly) history and other political science classes. For Studio Art I've had to take some Art History, for Econ some Business classes.

We don't have anything like PPE here (that I've ever heard of), but I think the idea of combining Philosophy, Politics, and Economics are brilliant. Most people find my IR/Econ combination somewhat odd, but I've always thought that you couldn't understand a country's external policy unless you had a firm grasp of their economics. It would appear to me that the good folks in Britain think the same thing, which is cool. It's an affirmation of my common sense.


As for Greece, we're going a lot of places - Athens, Corinth, Epidaurus, Nauplia, Olympia and Delphi. This class is great fun to me because you can register it in any one of about 7 different departments. The department you choose to register is the discipline in which you write a final research paper (of your choosing). I'll probably register the class as a Religion credit, so I could write about Paul's travels and ministry in Corinth if I wanted to. There are a million options, really.

And we're doing some kind of cheesy simulation game. Everyone has to read Plato's Republic in the first week or two of class, and then everyone in class is assigned a role for the simulation, and we 'try' Socrates for his 'crimes.' I'm told we will render a final verdict once we're in Athens.

What I do know is that I'll get a good tan while we're there.