Sunday, May 18, 2008

Newbie

I am scared shitless. I have not been in front of a classroom (as a teacher) in a while. Scratch the European Union, I would still have to do research for that, so I'm using a previous paper for my teaching demonstration:

Deconstructing Markets

I. Introduction – Outline of discussion - question

1. What is a market? Importance of answering this question.
2. Role of markets in the contemporary capitalist world system.
3. Theory – heterodoxies (neoclassical economics and its alternatives)
4. Re-instating politics in the discussion of markets – role of the state

II. What is the market?

1. Definitions – an institution, a technology, a system, a metaphysical concept, a morality (?)
2. Polanyian approach

III. Neoclassical Economics and Free Markets

1. Key assumptions
2. Political implications

IV. Critique of key assumptions – brining the social back in

1. A-historicity of the market
2. Are we homo economicus?
3. Dog-eat-dog world?
4. Why ‘dismal’ science?
5. Epistemological problematic of postcolonialism

V. Conclusion

1. Scholarly interventions
2. New areas of research

What the hell am I doing wanting to teach for the O.D.? But the institute is the only one of its kind in the country. So what if it is nestled in the heart of one of the most conservative universities known to Philippine academia? *Shudder* And I like my boss. He knows I'm a historical materialist (a more benign term for a post/neo/Marxist). I am also tolerant of his own Catholic philosophy. I am by no means an ideologue...and neither is he. And our common ground is we're both from UP, so we more or less have been shaped into a certain mould of thinking and being. I sometimes wonder why he wanted me to take this post. Full time! Because of my imported postgrad pedigree? Because he wanted a rabble rouser? Someone youngish to build the department? In any case...I dread this teaching demo. Guaaarrgghh.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

let us know how it turns out. that university might look like the best fit for you, but who knows? :) break a leg!

stuart-santiago said...

you ready for the dress code? but good luck ;)

Clarissa88 said...

Someone youngish to build the department?~or maybe somebody roguish, so to speak,hehe.

In a good way of course.Good luck with the demo

sparks said...

thanks ladies. i think it went well,

s-s,

basta no jeans, below the knew skirt and no open-toed shoes lang naman yata...i can live with that!