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Hudson

Seth Andrew Hudson


Professor White
EDUC 800002
12 February 2013
Empiricism v. Rationalism, and Those Who Cant
This debate of experience versus learned expertise manifests itself
continually in my professional life. This theme is common in western storytelling:
think Iago the seasoned soldier against Cassio the academy grad from Othello. The
folksy adage that educated people have book smarts, but no common sense, or
those who cant teach, comes around all too often. It seems this may be the result
of insecurity, no matter where you stand on the spectrum.
I teach Game Design, but unlike the world of literature and writing I formerly
inhabited, there are few standard practices that drive this discipline in regards to
higher education. Students, parents, and administrators want jobs, especially with
assessment scrutiny and call for value-added data, but that does not have to result in
vocational education. At Mason, a liberal arts approach to games creates well-
rounded students not far away from other traditional disciplinesa good thing, but
perhaps I am blinded by my love of liberal education.
When I speak with some industry representatives, the statement goes, If we
want to hire someone to perform X, we only care about them doing X. We dont
need someone who can (write a sonnet, do psychoanalysis, etc.). Not surprisingly,
though, the best companies usually start by asking for critical thinking, creativity,

Hudson
communication, writing skills, etc.; basically, what most employers claim to value.
Perhaps this empirical view of human resources may be short-sighted.
A thoughtful person with strong reasoning skills may take longer to learn a
task, but the upside is large. Experience can be gained over time with an internship
or an entry-level position where an individual will practice their craft 40 hours a
week. Time to practice critical thinking and reasoning may not fit into his or her
duties, so those skills atrophy as time passes. The Iago fills a specific role very well,
but the rationalist Cassio may prove more valuable in several roles.

The idea that industry/processional experience trumps anything else is

common, and especially in game design. Listing certain game studios and projects
on faculty profiles is attractive to students who may not value an instructors ability
to shape courses and maximize instructional effectiveness. Those who cant teach
but what about those who cant teach? Obviously, many great teachers have both.
Collaboration between colleagues makes a better experience for all.
In my role as a teacher, I recently refused to take on an independent study.
The students goal was to create a lexicon (he actually used the word dogma and
meant it in a positive sense) for game design storytelling, holding that relevant
research was impossible so he would rely only on his expert observation. I hoped I
could display the value in the scholarly tradition, but apparently he felt differently.
I may have missed a teaching moment with the student, but it made me reflect on
what I value and why. I am Cassio, to be sure, but that should not keep me from
spending time with Iago and trying to understand him

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