Dr Aaron Pearson
Anna - Student
Sofia - Student
Setting
A wide mid-sized lecture room that is only half full of students, all sitting towards the back. Quiet and informal conversation fills the room at the back, while no-one particularly wants to approach the teaching staff at any point beyond handing back the sign in sheet. Numerous students are intermittently messaging on their phones.
Storyline
Sofia and Anna are students in one of Aaron's lectures. Sofia relates closely to the lecture topic due to personal experiences and cultural knowledge, while Anna has gained some understanding through their friendship. Aaron has minimal connection to the lecture since he had to teach it last-minute due to his colleague's absence.
Dr Aaron Pearson
Alright everyone, we’re going to take a short break here.
Dr Aaron Pearson
Get yourselves a drink and have a little think about the social implications of what we’ve just been learning about this morning.
Dr Aaron Pearson
I’ll be up at the front if anyone has any questions, otherwise we’ll start back up in about ten minutes.
Students shuffle around the room in their seats, some getting up in small clusters to head to the canteen. No one approaches Aaron, who sits by the front monitor and sips from his hydroflask while scrolling mindlessly on the computer.
Anna
Hey Sofia, did any of that seem… right to you? Like a lot of that sounded very missing-important-context right?
Sofia
Softly sighs while staring at the last slide on the projector.
Yeah, he didn’t mention a word about any of the coups that have plagued the country before or after that revolution.
Sofia
Or about the massive corporations who rushed in to bully the local workforce.
Sofia
Or about the international policies and tariffs that prevented people from getting help.
Sofia
Not a single word.
Anna
...
Anna
It must really suck to see all of that stuff not mentioned here. I’m really annoyed and sorry we have to sit through all this stuff without being able to talk back...
Sofia
Yeah, it’s actually a joke.
Sofia
Like I get that Aaron’s probably inherited the module from however long ago and he’s probably not familiar with all of this background stuff, plus he’s supposed to have like 60 students in here and he’s only got like, 25 or something, so that’s probably on his mind as well...
Sofia
But still, yeah it does suck.
Anna
I don’t suppose you want to do anything about it this time?
Anna
Especially since it’s not just been today for this module, it happened last week as well when you were telling me about all that stuff about the media campaigns in Puerto Rico too that he didn’t mention.
Sofia
Yeah but at this point it’s like, what can I actually do?
Sofia
Why would he listen to me and make any changes to module halfway through the term?
Sofia
It’s not like I have anything to back up my points other than stuff I’ve lived through or heard from my family, so I can’t point him to a source to put up the slides.
Sofia
Plus a lot of the stuff isn’t exactly written down anyways – how do you explain that the reason that no one gets the public transport to work is not just because of terrible infrastructure but also because the process to get a car is sponsored by companies who sell it as their “work-perk” and like to show off the idea that they enable their employees to have a “higher standard” lifestyle with a personal vehicle?
Sofia
And then it becomes a whole thing with prestige and showing face and keeping up with your richer friends – none of that is something you can get people to admit to in an academic environment.
Sofia
Bitterly looking at her laptop.
It’s so unfair that he gets to be unaware of all of these social consequences and has the nerve to tell us to “have a little think about it”.
Sofia
...
Anna
...
Sofia
Lucky him where it gets to be a “little think” problem and for us it’s much more of a “massive pain in the ass” problem.
Anna
...now I feel bad for giving this module the benefit of the doubt at the start of the term.
Sofia
Hmm? What do you mean by that?
Anna
I mean like, way back at the start I didn’t know as much because we didn’t talk a lot before, but even then I was kinda like, uh?? Why isn’t he at least mentioning stuff like how the local economy affected things like the country’s morale during the class fighting, stuff that should’ve been pretty obvious, y’know?
Sofia
Yeah?
Anna
And now we’re what, 8, 9 weeks into the term? More than halfway through and if anything it’s gotten worse.
Anna
I mean I’m sure I’m noticing more now because of all the stuff you’ve been saying, but even that sucks because it means you had to point it out to me and take the burden for it – that should’ve been his job, not yours.
Sofia
Oh no, no it’s fine! I don’t mind explaining things to you at all-
Anna
But that’s the point isn’t it? It’s not fair that you have to explain it to me, and it’s not fair that the lecturers don’t know to mention it in the first place.
Anna
Literally the entire point of being in uni is to learn new things and develop yourself and your knowledge.
Anna
With all this stuff, they’re glossing over all the stuff you already know on a personal level and you don’t get the same opportunity to develop like the rest of us, because really you’d be more suited to teaching the module than Aaron.
Sofia
Yeah, I know that, but really what could I even do? I’m just sitting here doing my job as a student when half the class hasn’t even shown up.
Sofia
Resentfully.
And now if we’re talking about unfair responsibilities, how is it fair that it’s my job to educate the lecturer on why his content sucks, just because I happen to know it first hand?
Sofia
Quietly sighs and visibly tries to relax.
How is it that this always happens. Don’t they do some kind of teacher training for this? You’d think they would, wouldn’t you, with the amount of international students they apparently keep trying to bring in to pay their bills.
Anna
...hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.
Sofia
No, it’s fine, I know you didn’t.
Anna
That’s why it’s not fine though, I should’ve realised the way I phrased it would’ve landed that way.
Sofia
Don’t worry about it, seriously, we’re good. I’m just happy someone in here is actually willing to listen to me rant about everything.
Anna
I mean, it’s very justified ranting, so of course I want to hear it. The context that’s just straight up missing in half of these classes is ridiculous.
Anna
Even if it wasn’t justified I’d still listen anyways, it’s what friends do and all that, right?
Sofia
Soft laugh.
Yeah, I suppose. Thanks anyways.
Anna
Mhm.
Anna
I know you said you don’t really see a way to get all of these issues across to Aaron or guy who does the practical sessions, but is there anything I can do to help with that? Y’know, use my white privilege and local privileges for the betterment of the world type thing.
Small chuckle.
Sofia
Laughs comfortably.
Aww, that’s real nice of you to put it that way.
Sofia
I mean, short of asking him yourself or dumping a ton of links to articles in his inbox, I think we’ve got the same problem anyway where he controls our grades and we really don’t wanna risk his… temperamental attitude towards us “youngins” to affect our marks.
Anna
Young uns?
Sofia
Youngins, young uns? You know what I mean.
Anna
Oh yeah, with all his “back in my day” bs it’s a wonder he’s even ended up teaching a module like this.
