Dr. Lecter as mentor

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by bgossett, May 10, 2001.

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  1. bgossett

    bgossett New Member

    In "Hannibal" Thomas Harris has the most extensive coverage of distance learning that I've come across in a novel.

    Barney, the orderly who had charge of the ward Dr. Lecter was on in "Silence of the Lambs", took correspondence courses, was mentored by Dr. Lecter, and graduated from the United States Correspondence College with a bachelor's degree in humanities.

    I'd now like to submit this book report as my Ph.D. dissertation at Trinity C&U.

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    Bill Gossett
     
  2. Eep. Missed that one. I *don't* want to know if the curriculum included any food classes!

    Other sightings of distance learning in literature (from an old thread on the About forum):

    In "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" Harry is kept waiting in the caretaker's office and sneaks a peek at a "large, glossy, purple envelope with silver lettering" to find "Kwikspell: A Correspondence Course in Beginner's Magic" which includes classic appeals and testimonials.

    "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" is a 1971 Disney movie starring Angela Lansbury as apprentice witch Eglantine Price who flies over to England after her correspondence courses are interrupted by World War II.

    And there's the rather dour poem The Correspondence School Instructor Says Goodbye to His Poetry Students by Galway Kinnell. (Bringing this thread full circle, it was Bill G who alerted me to this!)




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    Kristin Evenson Hirst
    DistanceLearn.About.com
     
  3. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Mr. Bill Gossett www.degreeinfo.com


    Dear Mr. Gossett,

    Thank you for your interest in our academic programs. Based on your submitted resume, I'm pleased to inform you that you have already qualified for the degree of your choice from this prestigious institution. Please remit $1500.00 ASAP, and be sure to write your desired degree title on the "memo" line of your check.

    Sincerely,

    Dirk Diggler, Ph.D, Ed.D, D.D., S.T.D, ETC.
    President
    Trinity College & University
     
  4. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    In all seriousness, this does raise an interesting question...could an otherwise qualified person serve as an academic mentor while behind bars?

    I'm thinking of Dr. Douglas Dean, the author of the section of Bears' Guide that deals with people in prison. He earned all his degrees while imprisoned, yet I have gotten the impression from some e-mails that there is absolutely no way he will *ever* be released from prison while still alive. That leads me to believe that his original crime was horrific and/or involved at least one murder. That is just my opinion, and has no basis of fact.

    However, the fact remains that he has a GAAP Doctorate. Should he be considered as an academic mentor, in spite of his record? There seems to be positions he would be qualified for, such as a core reader at The Union Institute that would receive all materials via correspondence.

    I know this started as a fun thread (as my TC&U response above shows), but it also raised an interesting question. Any opinions?

    Bruce
     
  5. joybaum

    joybaum New Member

    Bruce,
    I taught community college courses behind prison bars for years. A star pupil of mine was doing 30 years for the brutal murder of his wife. Another student did okay on exams but spent all the lecture periods staring straight ahead. He was in for killing one parent and maiming the other...
    Violent criminals are not necessarily stupid. They are most often NOT mentally ill. What they are is violent and sometimes very dangerous.
    Prisons in New Mexico had rather extensive library facilities and inmates could earn access to a wide variety of academic materials. They also earned "good time" deductions from their sentences for pursuing high school or college level education.
    Joybaum
     
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Having worked in two different prisons (as Director of Training and also managing inmate living units and programs), I can offer an informed opinion.

    While someone like this may be qualified to serve (may be, but not definitely because there's more to it than academic qualifications), there is almost no way an incarcerated person could serve. Inmates receive little flexibility when it comes to communicating with the outside world.

    Inmates typically do not have access to computers. Even if they do, they're not normally allowed access to online services like e-mail and the Internet.

    Inmates are often restricted in the kinds of mail they can receive. Packages full of papers would not normally be allowed except when they relate to their criminal cases ("legal mail"). Sending out such materials could be troublesome, too.

    Phone calls would be tough. Typically, inmates cannot receive incoming phone calls. They can only call out collect (at outrageous rates, I might add), and then they're sometimes limited as to whom they can call, the number of people they can have on their calling lists, and the times/days they can call. This would make it difficult for someone to serve on a doctoral committee, even as a second reader.

    Could it be accommodated? Sure. If I was the warden, I would consider allowing the inmate to have the materials sent in to the prison library where he could review them. I would also allow for the inmate to participate in conference calls, also in the library. Of course, these calls would be on speaker, recorded, and directly supervised by a trained staff member. In other words, I'd make it happen, but I would ensure there would be no independent access by the inmate to technologies he/she isn't already routinely allowed to access. I would ensure no possible breach of security.

    Finally, I would ensure my staff media representative got this to the local--even national--media. Terrific publicity for the prison (from a public relations standpoint, not sales!) and a great human interest story featuring the inmate, which can only help his incarceration and the possibility of eventual parole or commutation of sentence.

    Rich Douglas
     
  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Bruce mentions,
    Dr. Douglas Dean, the author of the section of Bears' Guide that deals with people in prison. He earned all his degrees while imprisoned

    BA and MA from U of Wisconsin; Ph.D. from U of South Africa, and he is a licensed psychologist for the state of Wisconsin

    ...yet I have gotten the impression from some e-mails that there is absolutely no way he will *ever* be released from prison while still alive. That leads me to believe that his original crime was horrific and/or involved at least one murder. That is just my opinion, and has no basis of fact.

    He was convicted of five murders, which took place one night shortly before his high school graduation. While nearly every prisoner I've interacted with claims to be innocent, Dean's story is stranger and sadder. It was documented that someone spiked the party punch with a hallucinogenic. Dean says he has no memory of that night; he doesn't think he did it, but acknowledges that he may have.

    He has been a model prison for over 25 years. Charming, articulate, brilliant -- but he has zero telephone privileges, limited mail, and all his possessions (clothes, books, photos, etc.) must be packed into a one cubic-foot box every night. While he has counseled many inmates (and more than a few guards) over the years, it seems inconceivable to me that he could be a degree mentor, unless he is ever reassigned to a medium-security prison.

    John Bear
    [email protected]
     
  8. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    I think it is time to come clean:
    My degree hit a snag, unforseen,
    For my mentor is Lecter,
    The new Senior Rector
    Here at Baltimore's School of Cuisine
     

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