Forum - Week 12 - Improvisation

This week of forum was student-presentation-free, with Stephen Whittington and David Harris presenting their first justification of next semesters forum (they've got it down to a fine art now). While I did enjoy last year's forum improvisations, I am grateful that there seems to be more structure to this year's incarnation. A topic was raised regarding the difference between improvisation and composition, and whether the two are synonymous or disparate, or something in between. As this relentless semester draws to a close, I've started to notice the sporadic academic waffling that occurs in University, which often dissolves into a waving of intellectual penises between those who have the most profound catchphrase at that particular moment. I have previously enjoyed such conversations, however with the horrific conglomeration of assignments and projects I have to do for every subject, the first-year veneer has peeled. I can now see the pointlessness of classes that encourage waxing lyrical for no positive educational outcome, or listening to others talking like intellectual prodigies about immaterial topics. Maybe I'm missing the point? Feel free to place me where I should be put.

On a lighter note, I did enjoy the Mr. Bungle that was played at the end of the class, in fact even one of the first year students made a highly cerebral and well argued comment, “It's dumb”. Welcome to University, give me your tired, your sick, your huddled masses of barely functioning brain cells.

Okay, that wasn't technically a lighter note.