Posted by The Expand... on May 09, 2008 12:37 PM

Thanks Sasha, Michael, and Alison. A really powerful response to this post. It's hard being a writer in the world for sure and I agree with Sasha, in the end, money doesn't matter as much as doing the right thing, which is encouraging and cultivating criticality for journalists and critics. Poetry has never been a well-paid position, which is part of the point of poetry, but that hasn't stopped the poets from seeking some poetical education, sometimes at a high cost. Edmund White prided himself as never having to get a university job, I don't know if his level of quality in cultural criticism can go without a teaching job these days, but perhaps that's if one desires a middle class existence. I've always prided my freedom, as a writer, critic, journalist, what have you than the economic benefits of my chosen profession. I've even turned down writing for luxury glossies because I just couldn't bring myself to write puff. But the critique o universities as student fatories, shouldn't go without response either. At CalArts when I was getting my MFA in Writing, the expese of the diploma for a working class guy like me almost and till is breaking me, and sometimes the teachers were smart, capable and devoted, and sometimes they were merely collecting a paycheck, giving less back to the students than the hard plastic chairs in the seminar rooms. I'm a bit of an optimist, I want programs like USC's MA program and in some ways my former MFA program to work, it just seems that so often they don't, from lack of funding or support,a dn lack of adequate preparation from that scary moment your feet leave the campus and you enter the world with student debt. I was pretty bummed when the MA at Art Center tanked if onl because I have alot of respect for many of its teachers and graduates, and I hope this experiment at USC succeeds.

Posted by  on May 09, 2008 10:50 AM

SAILING....


The culture of professionalism in today’s astronaut corps, along with the highly visible, structured and supervised schedule during the last several days prior to launch, provide reasonable controls to avoid flying an outer-impaired crewmember. In light of all the other controls in place on launch day, the L-0 flight surgeon check provides a reasonable likelihood of identifying signs of illness or impairment of the level that would threaten flight safety

Psychiatrically, this would appear as ex-patients helping future patients go mad.


Allison

Posted by Michael on May 08, 2008 3:10 PM

It seems like more sub-specialization in arts education. The recent past produced its share of decent art writers and curators without particular programs. USC is joining CalArts recent MA in Aesthetics and Politics, just another way for these student factories to churn out more diplomas.
http://www.calarts.edu/criticalstudies/programs/ma aestheticsandpolitics

Posted by  on May 08, 2008 11:53 AM

Dear Andrew:
Thank you for the hope you expressed for our new program. This is the USC Annenberg School's Arts Journalism Program's aim and I couldn't have said it better myself: to "honestly train good journalists and critics who will head out into the world, fully prepared in the most advanced ideas and approaches to art, a smattering of history and discipline specific information as well as an expanded view of cultural critique in general."
There is no guarantee ever that young reporters or our graduates won't write the $50 review. I want to be very clear that this is not an either/or proposition. That our graduates will either "head out into the world fully prepared in the most advanced ideas" and earn a decent living 9which seems to be implied sub-text) or they will write meaningless, compromised pieces for print, online or broadcast media outlets and have to keep their day jobs teaching in the public school.

This program is not about finding or creating paying jobs as arts writers. It's not about the money -- first. But it is about establishing an intellectual environment . It is about providing the tools and discipline and support to envision what the media's future will be like, recognizing that art and culture are central. And how they are central and why they are central. We hope to engender active participants. We don't know what they will be paid, but we believe that good journalism practice has value. Marketing and business skills will be part of the program. They have to be. But in service to arts and culture journalism.
I would love to talk with you, so if you want to, give me a call.
Best,
Sasha Anawalt
Director, Arts Journalism Programs at USC Annenberg