My first week of teaching

I started teaching a course in comparative economic systems this week to a large group of 3rd year undergraduate students. Moldova has adopted the standard European process of higher education which means that students earn their license degree (read bachelor’s degree) in three years post high school. So my students are in their final term and are set to graduate in June. This course is a very condensed semester course that I’m teaching in three weeks, which means I meet with these students a lot in these three weeks and they have quite a bit of work to do in a short time. This week I adapted what I would normally do back in America to the course structure that they asked me to do here, which meant I met with the large group for three 80 minute lectures. Also, I had four seminar sections that I met with two times each for 80 minutes each time. It was a busy week...

Here at the Academy of Economic Studies courses are taught with a lecture section and then a separate seminar section (which I think is common in Moldova and many countries in Europe). Back at Wingate I would normally combine these formats into each class meeting. Another interesting aspect of the course is that the students in each of the distinct seminar sections have been together in their respective sections since they began their studies three years ago. When students enter the university they decide on a particular discipline, they are assigned a group of 25 or so peers, and they move through the entire program with these fellow students. Some of these students shared with me that this is one of the frustrations of their system compared to the American system. They must choose their field of study from day one and it is very difficult to “change your major” (something that American students do frequently). There is not a common core of courses that all students take, but each course is specific to one’s discipline (thus no movement between disciplines). One student shared that she thought she wanted to earn her degree in international economics, but after a year in the program she learned that it was not for her. She decided to stick it out and is hoping to earn a master’s in communication in the US.

I learned a lot this week about Moldova and Moldovan life. The perspective of this young generation of Moldovans is very interesting as they view life here as much better than it was just after independence in 1991 (when they were very young) and much better than life under communism. But, they all recognize that they still have a long way to go and there are changes that many people don’t like. Progress has brought in a lot of wealth, but there is still a lot of corruption and opportunities are still very limited for some. Most young people have a strong distaste for government as they see it…people who are trying to maintain control and power by limiting progress (for example it is very hard to start a business here especially if you are trying to compete in an industry that is being protected by the government). Many of these students want to be a part of making their country better. It was cool to hear that probably 60 percent of the students hope to stay in Moldova and work immediately or earn and master’s degree and then begin their career. It’s also interesting that around 70 percent of the students have been to America through a summer work and travel program.

It has been a great start to my teaching responsibilities, and I have really enjoyed my students thus far. They have been very energetic in the seminars, and both their written work and their dialogue has been very thoughtful. Also, as I have walked around the room in each seminar almost every student has a copy of the reading assignment for that day that is underlined and written on. I hope the novelty of having an American professor (and their willingness to work hard) remains for the next two weeks…