Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
In my “Writing in Fine Arts” class last Tuesday, the day after the horrific bombings in my former hometown of Boston, I was thinking about the fun we have at Pub Quiz, and how sometimes the best college classes also focus on answering questions, though often ones without “correct” answers. I began class Tuesday with a quick lesson on inquiry-based learning, which Indiana University, Bloomington calls “Learning [that is focused] around a meaningful, ill-structured problem that demands consideration of diverse perspectives.” I then had my students self-select (via voting, no more than seven to a group) into four groups with different tasks.
- They could analyze a Louis Menand New Yorker essay that was quickly written on the Marathon bombings;
- They could discuss and apply concepts raised in Arthur Miller’s 1949 essay “Tragedy and the Common Man”;
- They could support an assertion on the ways that photography is insufficient to represent tragic events;
- Or they could answer the question “How does art heal?”
Because my students actually are allowed outside help, that is, access to networked computers, I asked the students themselves had to research answers to the final two questions, using the computers in the classroom to find the content of the lesson, and then to organize their thoughts with enough time to offer insights and supported arguments about that content. I was impressed with my students’ analysis and assertions, and I did my best to facilitate the discussion, sometimes noting connections between the findings of the different groups.
That night I received this email from one of my students:
“Dear Dr. Andy,
I just wanted to say that I really appreciated you adjusting the lesson plan today to talk about the Boston bombing. Most of the time when things like this happen, other professors go on like nothing had happened. It always confused me and made me feel like I should cover up the sadness. I am very glad that you decided to talk about it. Thanks again.”
Classes like Tuesday’s class remind me how appreciative I am to have had an opportunity to pose challenging questions to smart people on the radio every week (on my KDVS radio show “Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour”), for that’s exactly how I ran the class. I also get to ask you smart people even trickier questions about even more random topics. Like Pub Quizzers, UC Davis students excel at meeting high expectations and answering tough questions.
The KDVS Fundraiser started today, and you can expect two questions whose answers can be found in the following sentence: the Fundraiser edition of “Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour” will air this coming Wednesday, April 24th, at 5 PM on KDVS, 90.3 FM; during that hour I hope to raise $1,000 for your campus and community radio station, and I could use your help. Set an alarm now for Wednesday at 5 so you can call 530 754-5387 or visit http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz will include questions about the KDVS fundraiser, professors, Marvel superheroes, beverages, systems, machines invented more than 200 years ago, walking feet, baseball, beasts, kings, fancy, appealing celebrities, trade magazines, farmer heels, famous women, Central California heroes, Nobel Laureates, chapels, odd pairings, physics, poetry, and Shakespeare. I also have to write a few more questions yet.
I hope to see you this evening for the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz!
Your Quizmaster
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Here are five questions from last week’s Pub Quiz:
1. Mottos and Slogans. What company that has a store at the Arden Fair Mall tells us that “Every Kiss Begins with Kay”?
2. Internet Culture. The world’s largest private solar array powers a data center in Maiden, North Carolina. What company owns it?
3. Newspaper Headlines. What baseball team scored a triple play last week? Hint: It was the first in the team’s home stadium since 1968.
4. Four for Four. Including direct to DVD, which of the following film franchises, if any, include 5 or more films? Fast and the Furious, Madea, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek.
5. Sports. Sacramento UFC star Uriah Faber wrestled for what university?