new mexico

Congrats!!!!

+1 I'm not sure about Sociology 101 textbooks, but it's really funny how anthropology 101 textbooks are usually so washed out and simplified that one really wonders what the point is in taking an anthro 101 course... I'm assuming, therefore, that this is probably the same for introduction books in sociology, theology, philosophy, etc. On the other hand, introductory books for chemistry, biology, physics, and biochemistry I've found to be rather excellent. The only problem with science introductory books is that you first learn a simplified model of reality; however, that's really the best way to start in the sciences.

"O for the P" is how Dr. Paul Farmer, MD, PhD (cultural anthropology) refers to it -- he has a lot of abbreviations for phrases like this, which is probably from his being a doctor too. I'm not sure if this is how kids refer to it (he's 50 / 51 yrs of age w/ all his training at Duke and Harvard), but he's actually making a preferential option for the poor concerning health care and community development projects in Rwanda, Haiti, Peru, Russia, Lesotho, etc. etc. I kind of like saying "O for the P" instead of saying "let's make a preferential option for the poor" every time

"An O for the P," huh? Are you fan of Gutierrez's A Theology of Liberation? I am! I'm also a fan of Paul Farmer's anthropological material, and PIH is founded on this statement. Edited.

I'm in the same boat. I got a full ride + stipend from Boston U. STH, but i'm still gonna have to take out loans for the three years as the $6k/yr stipend won't cover all of my bills for the year. It's a down-payment for the future

geez, i wonder if i should start investigating the housing situation this early?

Congrats on making a decision! I've just mailed my admissions confirmation form to Boston University School of Theology for the M.Div.

How about where to live for Boston University STH?

i think 11Q13 may be correct concerning different disciplines w/in academia (e.g., i believe females comprise 60% of academic anthropologist, and receive a similar pay as male academic anthropologists); however, in the general workforce, I think it is well-known that men are paid a bit more than females for the same occupation.

Trin, count me in for that big Southern dinner this fall because i just made my decision to attend Boston University STH (which is like 2.5 miles away)!!!!!

Kuhn IS great, specifically his book on the Copernican revolution! Postcolonial theory, eh? a month ago, my school hosted Walter Mignolo of Duke U. for two days for lectures and workshops. He was so cool, and super smart! I got coffee w/ him!

social justice rocks! that's why i'm going to study at BU !!

I totally don't think scientists are objective and that science is the be all end all, but at least some concepts can be tested (there isn't too much that's subjective with glucose conception, or the 1st / 2nd line of defense concerning TB or worse, MDR-TB...of course, what you and Kuhn are referring to are theoretical questions concerning phenomena we are still trying to comprehend). I wrote a paper on Kuhn's concept of incommensurability from that book. (You may be interested in the many critiques of Kuhn's book. I love most of what he has to say, but there's a lot to take issue with too.) I'm just saying that all too often the humanities are recapitulating to the hegemony of science and act like this somehow means something, but then there is no ability to test the concepts. That's all I'm saying. Nothing more. I'm a huge fan of Paul Farmer, and I think we should do ALL that we can to give a voice to the voiceless. Some people want to study theology from the standpoint of how it's been studied for a long, long time; others want to study it from a different perspective. The diversity is great. Of course, trying to see the past through the subaltern's perspective (yes, I'm referring to Spivak here) is great, but it is also inherently subjective. Of course, archaeology may corroborate some ideas, but it is still inherently subjective. And, of course, we have to remember this. It is subjective in a very different way than many subjective subjects are in science (specifically, different origins topics and quantum topics). Clearly, we're talking past each other, and I apologize if I was unclear concerning my original point. So, i'll leave this conversation since it isn't really going anywhere because we really do agree with importance of studying from the perspective of the subaltern.

I apologize, and I agree that we should recover lost voices. Heck, I want to become a physician one day to help the poor, the ethnic minorities, etc. I come from a background (besides anthropology) of many, many, many science courses, so I still view these endeavors in theology, anthropology, philosophy, etc., as really just putting a different spin on topics we can never REALLY know the answer to like, say, catabolism of glucose through glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, the "making-it-up-as-we-go." I'm all for recovering lost voices, so long as we remember that we can't stamp "fact" on these different voices (including what is considered "normative"), which is what many academicians do or, at the very least, disparage individuals when they disagree with ideas or concepts which are just that, "ideas and concepts". Like I said, I don't have any problem with different ideas. I hold no paradigm as sacred. What I do hold sacred, though, is being able to distinguish between fact and fiction, to the best of our limited capabilities. It's just good to remember that, in the end, a lot of this esoteric stuff shouldn't be taken as "this is the way it is!" as much as it should be cherished as giving a voice to the people that have been voiceless, which I think is very cool.

can't go wrong with that HUGE stipend!!! i need to decide by April 1 too. I'm heavily leaning towards Boston U. (MDiv, full funding + 6k stipend) or Brown (MPH, $10k scholarship / year, but it will still cost $90k in loans...)