He just struts around talking about random crap, singling out students to attack or praise, and doesn't seem to actually do anything regarding education except namedrop a few authors. I want this class, apparently all you have to do is tolerate being part of his weird cult of personality, easy credits
What a lovely way to burn...
Pretty sure it would be listed in a course catalog as "Introduction to Being a Complete A$$hole"
shareDouchebaggery 101
shareMuch like he did all he could to get himself killed, he did all he could to get himself fired.
shareAndre braugher seemed to be annoyed with him
shareIn the script he's repeatedly told he's a "natural born teacher." Just a great, great instructor. Speaking as a professor, I'd say he definitely has a rock star quality. He's connecting the students to the course and instructing on life lessons. He knows their names. He's passionate and providing a point of view you won't soon encounter elsewhere. Students love these moments and these kinds of instructors -- with the exception of those he insults (e.g., "NPR host at best"); those little fvckers will rip him on RateMyProfessors, but most recognize that anyone can just read from PowerPoint slides.
We do get impression that this is how his class normally goes, and if that's the case, then I'd agree he's not a very good teacher. While he has a strong, passionate point of view, he's also essentially saying that these students lack the talent to achieve anything in his subject, so why bother having them write papers? Bennett explicitly says he wants everything or nothing. The natural "dramatist" is entertaining but not informative -- which is perfect since he's playing a part in a movie. It's supposed to be entertaining. Watch him self-destruct.
You kinda skirted my question though. What was he teaching? what was the course?
What a lovely way to burn...
English, man!
His mom basically says as much when she asks how his star basketball student is doing in English. As for the course, he's shown teaching two different classes. The second one is about the modern novel, but they really should've gone for American Realism.
I have no idea what sort of "instructor" you are irl, gofreason, since you claim to be an "instructor" at the university level (normally the designation of "instructor" is for graduate students and academics who are ABD and working in their first real job --obviously Ph.D.s start as Assistant Professors through Associate Prof to Prof (full professor)). I am a professor in real life (with appropriate Ph.D.), and I teach my specialization in an English dept. -- medieval and Renaissance literature. We are also required to have at least a functional reading ability in two additional languages - I studied French (and Anglo-Norman), Latin, Anglo-Saxon (Old English is vastly different from modern English and must be studied as a foreign language), and some German.
This film's version of a "professor," "random humanities course," and classroom dynamics is just ridiculous. It almost makes the "Philosophy Course" in that abominatiion God's Not Dead look credible (almost). There is no "English" class at the university level; all academics at the university level in any English literature department specialize in the literature as immersed in the particular culture of a particular historical period. One will see this in any standard bio on a department's website: "Professor Jennifer Smith specializes in Regency-era literature in England, particularly the work of Jane Austin, with an emphasis on blah blah...Her dissertation/first book explores the economic understanding of marriage in Austin's novels. Insert additional trendy lit-crit lingo here, mention two topic classes with "exciting" titles ("Sex and drugs in 19th-century England"), list academic credentials, dissertation subject plus book titles, forthcoming projects, a sampling of conference presentations, etc.
The closest thing one would find to a generic course would be freshman comp (the course in the film is not presented as a freshman comp course). And no ordinary English professor makes anything close to $200,000 a year!! LMFAO. Only a superstar scholar or dean makes a salary close to that level (in the humanities).
The university class presented in this film would not exist anywhere. It is a large lecture course yet Wahlberg stands around posing silly "big" questions as though he is conducting a seminar. A faculty member that behaves as Wahlberg does would at the very, very least be severely punished for making derogatory statements like "all of you are stupid and won't ever be "SERIOUS WRITERS" except for this blonde chicky with whom I am barely acquainted" and "see this black student? I am going to ridicule him to show that he doesn't really belong here." A professor with the idiotic manner presented here would get FIRED. Romancing an undergrad? That is a very serious offense these days and is not tolerated in the modern academy. A professor prancing around like a D-level rock star while making lots of stupid statements about "BIG TOPICS" is also an idiotic movie fantasy. Singling out a minority student for nasty comments and negative attention?! Your butt would be fired. I promise you. Go watch one of the many lectures available on YouTube from standard university literature courses (such as the Yale series) to get an idea of a legitimate undergrad lecture course.
"Hearts and kidneys are tinker toys! I am talking about the central nervous system!"
The absolute worst thing about being a professor is dealing with colleagues, particularly those who drone about themselves, and their titles.
We can do the whole semantic wanking thing, if you insist. I never called myself an "instructor," and I never said I teach at a university. This is not to suggest that I would oppose being called an "instructor," or that I do not teach at a university. The whole instructor/professor distinction you mindlessly focus on is a distinction without a difference (for real people) and completely beside the point. Also, my screen-name begins with a 'q' not a 'g', and Ph.Ds do not necessarily start as Assistant Professors as some of them are in adjunct hell. There are also other titles, such as Lecturer, Associate Adjunct Professor, and (shockingly) Instructor.
What was he teaching? English. What course? I said one of the courses was the Modern Novel, which was then presumably followed by an in-joke for those who have recently watched the movie. You might be able to find both courses in the script, which is available online.
The university class presented in this film would not exist anywhere. It is a large lecture course yet Wahlberg stands around posing silly "big" questions as though he is conducting a seminar.
A faculty member that behaves as Wahlberg does would at the very, very least be severely punished for making derogatory statements like "all of you are stupid and won't ever be "SERIOUS WRITERS" except for this blonde chicky with whom I am barely acquainted" and "see this black student? I am going to ridicule him to show that he doesn't really belong here." A professor with the idiotic manner presented here would get FIRED.
Romancing an undergrad? That is a very serious offense these days and is not tolerated in the modern academy.
And no ordinary English professor makes anything close to $200,000 a year!! LMFAO. Only a superstar scholar or dean makes a salary close to that level (in the humanities).
In my day it was called Lit/Writing.
shareAdvanced Pseudo-intellectual Posturing
shareThe Art of Contrivance: A Introduction to Social Illusion
Mark Wahlberg's "acting" in this movie was on par with the extent of his ability. He's better suited playing the short, soft-spoken tough guy with a fixed look of befuddlement. You can tell he has expensive acting coaches guiding his body language and voice inflections as he doesn't maintain this style outside of the classroom setting, and it's not because he's playing two different personas either. Listening to him pontificate in the classroom scene reminded me of his high stakes attempt at intimidation in "The Depaahtid". Keep in mind that this movie is a remake with James Caan but it's every different. Caan emoted more vulnerability as well while contrasting a certain level of distress and manic addiction.