[HPforGrownups] Re: I have a problem, Socio Economic data and HP + OT question about American College education.

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 5106

> Drifting off the point a bit, but from general information on this list it
> appears the majority (if not all) of the  Harry fans on this list are a)
> well educated (university or its equivalent or preparing for the same), b)
> Very well read and c) Those who have left education are or were what UK
> sociological tables would call ABC1 professionals (Please don't ask me to
> elaborate because as a non sociologist who had to do a bit as part of her
> course I can't). Is there any connection I wonder beyond the obvious of
> being able to afford a computer and net connection.

As a student of International Relations, I can elaborate on ABC1 for those
who're in the dark. It refers to a way to segment the population of a
country by its work. I've not got my textbook on me, but here's a
paraphrase:

A: Executive/Director
B: Middle Management/Secretarial
C1: Floor supervisor
C2: Skilled laborer
D: Unskilled laborer
E: Unemployed

C1 and C2 comprise 60% of the UK electorate. ABC1 is what is known in the UK
as "Middle Class" and in the USA as "White Collar".

> Final OT point someone I think it was Carole said something about only
> having to take one humanities course on her Science based degree. Is it
> usual to have to take courses from another discipline in the US? In the UK
> unless you are doing a modular degree (This is a generalisation but usually
> you only do those if you didn't get the grades for your first choice or you
> decide at the end of your first year you hate your subject and want to
> change.) you stick purely to courses on your subject. Sometimes you are
> encouraged to do a European language course alongside and I had a compulsory
> computer course but it was not part of the degree nor did my mark count
> towards my final mark. Sorry if this sounds garbled I'm just very curious as
> discipline boundaries are rarely crossed in the UK. This could be partially
> a result of the restrictive nature of A-levels. In most cases you chose arts
> or sciences at 16.

I'm currently studying International Relations as my intended degree at the
University of St Andrews. I'm in year 2 of 4 and already I've taken modules
in International Relations, Russian, Russian Literature, Arabic and
Linguistics. 

>From what I remember when I looked at universities two years ago (gawd, two
years ago? I feel so OLD!), Social Sciences and Sciences tend to be modular
courses at all but the most hallowed institutions (read: Oxford and
Cambridge), and even some of those are modular. St Andrews runs a completely
modular system, but in a Faculties system -- you can't usually take a
Science module from the Arts Faculty, but you can take most anything with a
language or with IT Studies. Languages are particularly encouraged.

Hope this helps!

--John

=====================================================
John Walton     john at walton.to    ICQ: 96203920

"I won't eat people! Don't eat people! Eating people is wrong!"
--Flanders and Swann: The Reluctant Cannibal
=====================================================