Denise Waszkowski Interview

Denise interview by sara-radio

During those couple of years, 2 very odd events have taken place, the swine flu and the revolution.

According to your experience,

1. What were the effects of those 2 events on the academic semester?

While I wasn’t present during the Swine Flu, I can say that the Revolution posted a challenge to colleges in Egypt and not just at AUC. There were many concerns about opening—namely the safety of the students.

2. Do you recall any other incidents that has… uh, that have had strong impacts on academic semesters?

Well, I am a new teacher at AUC—for that matter, I am new in Egypt. Having taught in California colleges and universities for the past ten years, I cannot recall a single time when the semester was altered due to a catastrophe, so this was a new experience for me.

3. So, how did professors adapt to the revolution?

I think that all professors should find a way to adapt to a changing environment and schedule. If you think about it even if we teach the same subject semester after semester, no two class populations are ever identical. Each grouping of students will be different. So, we have to adapt perhaps even alter our syllabi to reflect a given population.

4. In your opinion, what’s the difference between a standard semester and a semester with such dynamic issues taking place?

First, a standard semester can be boring and predictable. As I mentioned being… before being able to adapt to change is probably a good skill to have—a life skill, for both students and professors.

5. How does this affect your, and your students’ attitude, mood and performance?

Understandably, some students and professors become upset when there are changes. Some time ago, I read an article on ancient Egyptian civilization and the author had questioned as to why the art forms and depictions of royalty hadn’t changed in over 3000 years from the earliest art forms to the art of Cleopatra. Why would that be? Well one theory was that ancient Egyptians believed that it was good –that it was stable- that it gave stability to the civilization –that it was good to practice religious rituals in the same way for all time… And this idea of stability and promoting the status quo was attributed to the concept of Ma’at, you know M A ‘ A T, the goddess with the wings, she is a personification of that. As a Nile people, the ancients Egyptians could depend on the predictable patterns like the flooding of the Nile and the planting and harvesting seasons because they were farmers. Uh, Uh, many can wonder about this, but how much… I wonder this, how much change have Egyptians tolerated over the centuries in the past in comparison to other cultures?

Uh, Nevertheless, because the world is so different today, I think in these times it is an essential skill to be able to adapt to change.

6. Do you think it is better for me, as a student, to study in a steady semester or one with lively actions taking place?

Well, I think if you can adapt to the changes in Egypt, you have gained a skill that you can use throughout life because the world as we know it is highly complex and rapidly changing.