Wednesday 29 February 2012

Vincent Hendricks - when trying to be cool fails.

This is an example of cultural failure in one Danish academic's attempts to try and "relate" to his students.

Vincent Hendricks getting down with his students

Comment on Hendricks

I partly agree and partly disagree with the second set of comments. There is a professional barrier between students and staff but academics should never appear intimidating.

Certainly when I started I was perhaps too informal and related too much with the students. I was clearing out my old files the other day and I found a birthday card my first cohort of MSc students had given me which had a picture of a guy with a snorkel on the front and the title "M**f Diver". So students can give as much as they take! Except that was mainly a male group and at Masters level.

I would also say that I find that Danish humour can be quite different to US or British humour and they can be pretty rude, both male and female. Humour is definitely a very cultural thing and very dangerous to use.

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