Professor sees Polish defiance firsthand
By Sandy Johnstone
Of the Emerald
“Poland is a system in the
process of disintegration, wai
ting for something to happen.
What? They don't know; I don't
know,” says Professor Joseph
Fiszman after his recent trip to
Poland
"The Polish people say their
war is better than someone
else's peace Despite the
military rule and martial law, the
people are almost euphoric
They joke about the military and
talk openly," he says "The
people are defiant Their spirit is
unbreakable ”
But the situation is "tragic
and terrible,” Fiszman says,
especially for children and the
elderly who can t stand in bread
lines
"Corruption is rampant
People steal The struggle is for
survival," says Fiszman
"After two weeks I, myself, did
not know what was normal and
what was not normal,” he says
"The atmosphere is one of
malaise and disorientation.”
Fiszman says the people
don't know what to hope for He
says lifting the embargo the
United States has imposed
would help the people instead of
"pushing Poland into the hands
of the Russians "
He says the authorities are
not unified when applying their
"repression" to the people.
For example, their censorship
is "ineffective," he says. "I get
letters now that if the censor
had read would never have let it
past ”
But Fiszman says the Poland
he lived in is not the Poland
portrayed by the news media in
the United States.
"The popular media, mosl
journalists and editors, know
very little about Poland," he
says. "They project a black and
white picture of what is going
on."
He says the picture painted by
the media had made him expec
a much more repressive
atmosphere
Fiszman was afraid to take a
Western newspaper he was
reading on the plane into the
country because of possible
repercussions Later, Polish
people told him he should have
brought it. He wasn't even
searched at customs.
“When I went there the first
time I expected to see general
starvation," he says. “When I
got there I found out it’s not.
Neither is milk and butter run
ning down the streets, but it is
not starvation in the sense we
think of it in Africa and Asia "
Fiszman says the media intent
may be laudatory, however. The
media may be trying to mobilize
people to help the citizens of
Poland, he says.
But the efforts of the well
meaning are self-defeating
many times, Fiszman says. He
was shown closets filled with
shoes for youngsters that were
absolutely useless because
there were no pairs
University political science professor Joseph Fiszman says people
of Poland have “moved into a blind corner. ”
■
5
Language classes: more tnan mecnanics
By Dave Fogerson
Of the Emerald
Though many students may not know it, the
University's language departments teach more than
just the mechanics of a foreign language, says Randi
Birn, head of the romance language department
Beginning classes are service courses for the
University that serve an important function, but another
purpose exists at the upper division level, says Birn.
It's here that culture and literature courses are
taught, with study and research at par with the more
well-known English department, she says
But the department has a problem students and
even faculty aren't well-informed about the department,
Birn says.
Maybe we haven’t advertised ourselves well
enough,’’ she says "Students, especially in other
fields, don’t consider foreign literature I have
encountered professors who weren’t aware that we do
things that are different from first- and second-year
instruction,” she says.
Birn notes foreign language department names
may not convey the message that literature is taught
However, the study of literature is important, she
says
"It’s most important to know your own literature,"
she says, "but a close follow-up is with a foreign
literature."
Birn says the training in foreign language literature
course is similar to the training for English literature
"The same kind of research goes on for both First-and
second-year courses are comparable to English com
position "
While having academic objectives similar to those
ot English literature students, foreign literature
students face the additional task of being competent in
another language
"You don't understand French culture without
knowing French," Birn says
Cultural backgrounds also present a special con
sideration for students of foreign literature
"An allusion to a myth in a French story might be
grasped by a French student and not by an American
even if they speak comparable levels of French," Birn
says
The foreign language faculty is reserved for
teaching students who form the literature classes. Most
of the faculty have higher degrees in foreign literature
"You don't need a Ph D to teach first and second level
courses," Birn says.
Teaching assistants, who are trained and super
vised by the faculty, teach the beginning level courses.
The classes have an international flavor, with
students from Europe and Latin America studying both
native and foreign languages.
Birn says students beginning foreign languages at
the University usually fall into one of three patterns:
those who come only to satisfy a bachelor's degree
requirement, those who recognize that they will want to
continue into the advanced courses and those who
become intrigued somewhere along the way
Susanne Rinne, a University French instructor,
says students' limited experience in foreign literature
contributes to the slow growth of literature classes
"In Europe, foreign literature is taught at 11-years
of age," Rinne said "You take it because you have to
Proficiency in two foreign languages is a requirement
for admittance to European universities
WE ENDORSE JIM WEAVER
for 4th District Congessman
✓>--1 r-1 a -J lamoc Torrv .QrhrtAll
Vsneryi nuamo
Pamela Allyn
Marta Annus
Ardie Arnis
Wayne Ause
Lowell Axtmann
Nancy M Barnes
Dana Benedict
I George Beres
Jack Bird
Anna Bissontz
Larry Bridges
Christine C Bro
Gayle Brooks
Roland Brown
Sarah Bruton
Lawrence Cain
Charlotte Charters
Sandy Charters
Jil Cohen
Becky Couch-Goodlir
Faye Danks
Barbara Dedianto
Larty Doobley
Phil Edmonson
Eileen Fletcher
Ken Ford
David Frank
Richard Fredericks
Caryn Fuzzard
Kate Gawf
Heather Grahame
Lisa Gray
Cynthia Hirschorn
Martin Immerman
Bob Irvin
David Isenburg
Scott L Jones
Leah Juniper
Kristin Law
William Lopez
Paula Jo Lowden
Karen Kallender
Polly Kaplan
g Aliza Keddem
Stephanie Kelly
Hee-Jin Kim
David Knotts
Marie Knudsen
John H Kramer
Mark Kraschel
Gayle Kvernland
Jay Manning
Ruth Maquize
Shaun McCrea
David McDaniels
Kate McLaughlin
Jeanne Meyer
Craig Morris
David Moser
Suzanne Ogard
Michelle B O Hair
Christopher Orsinger
Ken Peale
Maggie Plumme
Karen Randolph
Sherwood Reese
David Roberts
Greg Robinson
John Roe
Gerald C Russell
James Salt
Norma Sax
Adam Schultz
Jackie Schweitzer
Carol Selfridge
Daniel Seubert
Paul E Simonds
Teri Simpson
Susan Smiley
Madeline Smith
Patrick Smith
H Dee T aylor
Rebecca Taylor-Henry
Timothy Travis
Kevin Tushaus
Lon A Vick
Peter H von Hippel
Stephanie Weber
Brent Wells
Will Whelan
Tom Williams
Stephan H Williamson
Phil Woods
Deborah Young
Sid Zagrl
Becky Zwetg
.Ion ?weio
VOTE FOR WEAVER
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd.
Paid for bv Students For Weaver
3 HOUR
PHOTO
PROCESSING
Most films
C-41
in before 10 a m.
Ready at 1 p.m.
E-6
in before 11 a m.
Ready at 2 p.m.
C-41 Dev. & Print
12 Exp 1 .99
24 Exp 3.99
36 Exp 5.99
Coupon must
accompany order
OREGON
pHOTO LAB
on campus
1231 Alder
St 683-2500
MAuamhar 1 1QA9