Meiland essay paragraph one

First, it can be true that a college education is useless since what you learn first year will have gone out of date by your third year. However, a student learns in college not only the facts which are the latest then, but also how to think about things and how to generate a new idea by himself. In ‘College Thinking’ Derek Bok, who is the president of Harvard states “every professor knows that much of the information conveyed in the classroom will soon be forgotten. The willingness to continue teaching rests on an act of faith that students will retain a useful conceptual framework, a helpful approach to the subject, a valuable method of analysis, or some other intangible residue of intellectual value.” And Meiland says “professors believe their courses to be worthwhile anyway because in courses students learn ways of thinking that stay with them even if they forget particular content. In order to learn how to think, you must think about something, about some particular content. But the content is not the main point. Much of the content that you are taught in college will be outmoded or discarded anyway in ten or twenty years. Learning intellectual skills and attitudes is far more important”. Therefore it is not important to learn the latest facts. And students will be able to know and create a new idea by himself even after his graduation from college.

Satoshi Takizawa
Professor James

ARW Section AI
23 May 2007

Fluency journal “Cigarette”

Today, a campaign against smoking is done considerably. Outside, many cities prohibit smoker from walking with smoking. And inside, a smoking place is separated. Also in ICU, a movement to exclude smoking places has been done. But, what makes smokers so bad impression? How much is it bad? I would like to point out two points about this. First point is a health phase. A cigarette contains about 200 toxic chemicals and 40 carcinogens. The most dangerous disease is cancer. Smokers are liable to get cancer about 3 to 33 times as much as nonsmokers. It is said that smoking one cigarette shortens the life expectancy about 5 minutes. Smokes damage not only smoker but also nonsmoker. Passive smoking is worse than direct smoking. However, I think that nonsmokers don't breathe all passive smokes. So I think of how much passive smokes harms nonsmokers in doubt. Furthermore, smoking by a woman who is pregnant causes premature birth and disabled person delivery. Next point is an economical phase. Japanese economy gains about 2,800,000,000,000 yen by tobacco tax and so on, but Japanese economy gives a loss of 5,600,000,000,000 yen by medical cost of smokers and fire extinguishing costs of a fire by a cigarette. So the deduction is 2,800,000,000,000 yen damage. By these reasons, we can conclude it that there is the great damage in smoking. Now, it becomes a problem that a cigarette company should take responsibility for a person narrowing life by oversmoking of a cigarette. But people make too much fuss. For example, I try to compare it with a shrink age of life by a death of a motorcycle. About 10,000 people lose their life by an accident by motorcycle a year. This is considerable amount. If it is so, a motorcycle company should warn it and should take responsibility for a person of death by accident. However, an individual takes responsibility. So smokers should take responsibility for their health. Harm to the human of a cigarette is very clear, therefore, cigarette should disappear from the world.

(333 words)

Fluency journal "Menus of ICU restaurant"

I introduce ICU’s restaurant. ICU’s restaurant is called “Gakusyoku” or “Gakki” by students. It can accommodate about 300 people. It fills with people at lunch time. There are about six menus that change day by day. Besides it, curry, chinese noodle, and salad bar are always in menu. Salad bar is popular because we can choose what we like. The most popular menu is Chicken Tatsuta. But in general the price is high. We heard that ICU’s restaurant is the best of the ranking of Waseda Gakusyoku Kenkyuukai. But do you think so? Isn’t there any restaurant that is more delicious? So we investigated the dining hall of Aoyama Gakuin University. It is very large. There are about 30 menus, and some of which are titled unique names like “Omotesandou”, “Millefeuille Katsudon” and “Arbitrary Lunch of Chef” And price is lower than that of ICU. Moreover, the dishes are cooked with much care and the taste is very good. Then we found an interesting paper-“Gakusyoku Ranking”- there. It is a research done by Asahi newspaper. It says Aogaku’s dining hall is No.1. In that ranking, ICU’s dining hall is out of the 10th. In fact, Aogaku’s dining is synthetically better than that of ICU. That is why ICU’s restaurant is not No.1 of all Japanese university’s .

(217 wards)

ARP:Reaction to Meiland's "Why Reasons Matter"

Satoshi Takizawa
Professor Owen
ARW Section AI
7 May 2007

Reaction toMeiland's "Why Reasons Matter"

Summary

According to Meiland, there are five justifications of the search for good reasons. First, we believe that a thing supported by good reasons is more likely to be true than one that is not supported by good reasons. Second, beliefs based on good reasons help us to avoid frustrations. This means if you have no good reason, you would be shocked and frustrated when you did not get what you want. A third justification is what we might call a “social” justification. This means basing beliefs on good reasons fits together well with our democratic way of life. Fourth, if you have good reasons for your beliefs, then when your belief is challenged, you can defend your belief. And it help us to make clear why we believe. Therefore you are more likely to hold your true beliefs when you know why you ought to hold them. Finally, if you can’t defend their beliefs, we think that you don’t have reasons and understand the material. So you need to investigate reasons and argue for beliefs, and you had to prove them true. Also you will come to understand them better.

Discussion

Meiland takes up five justifications of the search for good reasons in “Why Reasons Matter”― why is it that college work is so concerned with the reasons for our beliefs？ In second justification he takes the example “If you believe capricious things, you would just go ahead and believe it, ignoring all evidence. The trouble is that eventually－and probably sooner rather than later－you will come into frustrating, or even violent, contact with the real world. But basing beliefs on good reasons has been found to aid in avoiding frustrations of this sort.” But I think, in this case that one believes capricious things, he need not have good reasons, because a person can display great power in doing something like sports by believing. For instance, I was poor at standing broad jump when I was junior high school student. My record was not more than tow meters. But I thought that I have power to jump more than 2 meters when I was high school student. And I jumped 2.10meters!! There is a case that a man display more power just to believe having no reason than to collects negative reasons.

Work Cited
Meiland, Jack W. College Thinking: How to Get the Best Out of College. New York: New American Library, 1981. (The ELP Reader, 2006.7-10)

Paraglaph:My Most Meaningful Experience

Satoshi Takizawa
Professor Owen James
ARW Section AI
29 April 2007

“My Most Meaningful Experience”

My most meaningful experience is playing soccer in club. I learned three things through playing soccer. First, I learned winning is pleasure! Second I learned importance of teamwork and communication, because my teammate had to understand their mind with each other. Finally, I had to make an effort to become a regular. So I learned that if I don’t make an effort, I can’t gain anything. Therefore I make an effort to study English and I want to speak with people from all over the world.

ARP:Reaction to Meiland's "New Types of Intellectual Work"

Satoshi Takizawa
Professor Owen
ARW Section AI
29 April 2007

Reaction to Meiland's "New Types of Intellectual Work"

Summary
　　According to Meiland, there is a difference between high school and college attitude toward materials. First, college work demands of students the more intellectual work different from high school. What is demanded of high school students is to understand the materials. It is demanded equally at university. But, what’s more, college work requires a different and higher type of understanding. It is critical examination and evaluation on the material. It is named new types of intellectual work by Meiland. College students need examine and evaluate it that the materials are really right. Second, there is difference of how to present the materials between high school and college. In high school, materials are presented as if they are authoritative and unchanging fact. So students believe and are satisfied with that the materials are true. But in college, materials are presented as beliefs or conclusions that have been reached on basis of investigation. Generally, people consider that the person who believes something should have a basis for such beliefs. So students have to examine and evaluate the materials and find evidence. That is why college work requires new kinds of intellectual work. Once students make shift from authority to rational evaluation, the mode of presentation of the material, and the way in which students regard the material also changes. And it is useful after having graduated from college. So students have to improve the skill of “new types of intellectual work”.

Discussion
　　Meiland says “college work requires new types of intellectual work, because the way in which materials are presented in high school and college is different. In high school, they are presented in authoritative manner-almost as if they were absolutely and eternally true. And this way is wrong.” But I think he misunderstands high school work. Because I think high school students need to study in that way. Firstly, students don’t know much about any subjects yet. They don’t have enough knowledge to examine and evaluate materials. So high school teachers should teach them with an authoritative material. Secondly, if high school work takes the way like critical exam and exam, there might be no time to study general subjects. Therefore high school work in authoritative way is needed by college work. And college students should get down to college work as they make the most of their experience in high school work.

Work Cited
Meiland, Jack W. College Thinking: How to Get the Best Out of College. New York: New American Library, 1981. (The ELP Reader, 2006.7-10)