Saturday, June 18, 2005

While doing a reverse search referral lookup, I found the following response paper for a "Feminist Social Theory class" - on Raffles Guys School:

"I remember sitting through talks given by the school principal or the disciplinarian mistress to promote “the gracious RGS girl” behavioral goal. I don’t remember the specific ways they propose for us to live up to “the gracious RGS girl” vision, but I do remember the rules pertaining to our appearance—our Goffmanian identity kit—that I had to keep for four years. No dyed or highlighted hair. Only black hair accessories allowed. Sports shoes were to be white and its logo, if colored, could not exceed a predetermined dimension.

... “Prefects,” the equivalent of the members of the student council, are the disciplinarian mistress’ spies. They are out there to “book” you, within and without the physical school boundary, for failure to keep any of the rules pertaining to appearance. They embody what Goffman described as a small group of people who control the behavior of a large group of people in a total institution.

... Our RGS “selves” existed in our presentation to the public. RGS administrators wanted to foster the impression that our students were not only smart, but also “good.” The image that we were supposed to portray is that we were not top school because of our exam grades only, but because we excelled in everything, including behavior. The amazing thing is that we, the students, also bought this all-rounder image. We took pride in the prestigious RGS brand—our presentation to the public— and we wanted to keep it. Thus, our role to the public—the “gracious RGS girls”—slowly became our selves. Like what Goffman wrote about misrepresentation, we might say that a misbehaving student did not fit to be an RGS girl, but really what we were saying was that she was not fit to play the role of the gracious RGS girl."

Not bad, but the only theory referenced is Goffman's. Pity, that.

Some background on Goffman:

Analysis of Erving Goffman

"Erving Goffman was very interested in society and how people perform in that society. Goffman's approach to the study of social interaction is often called dramaturgical, meaning that he viewed social life as something like a staged drama (Charon, 191). We are always on stage according to Goffman and consequently, that causes us to be performers. Our performances are labeled as "fronts" - the part of the individual's performance which regularly functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation for those who observe the performance (Goffman, 22). What I think Goffman was trying to say, was that we have and use "masks" (fronts) in our everyday lives; masks that intentionally deceive the audience from the performers true identity. Fronts can also be assumed roles that society has given to the performer with out a choice or say in the matter."

***

This sounds really dodgy:

Maharishi University of Management: Consciousness-Based Education

"Founded by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Consciousness-Based Education
Grow in higher states of consciousness
Awaken your total brain potential
Maximize your creative intelligence
Radiate peace to the world

Practice Transcendental Meditation and awaken your total brain potential
Connect all knowledge with the Unified Field and your own Self
Natural, prevention-oriented health program for all
Organic vegetarian meals using locally grown vegetables

National study puts University among best U.S. colleges:
TOP 3% – active and collaborative learning
TOP 7% – student-faculty interaction
TOP 4% – enriching educational experiences
TOP 8% – supportive campus environment
TOP 26% – level of academic challenge"