Jedi Knights Course Offered By Queen's University Belfast

Starting in November, Queen's University Belfast will offer a course that will use the psychology of the Star Wars Jedi Knights to teach students communication skills and personal development. The university's publicity material reads 'the course "Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way" teaches the "real-life psychological techniques behind Jedi mind tricks"' and promises to explore 'wider issues behind the Star Wars universe, like balance, destiny, dualism, fatherhood and fascism.' The course is very affordable but the droid fees are outrageous.

Comments

Mind Trick

[gbulmash]

This is not the comment you're looking for.

Move along.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

Re:Mind Trick

[statemachine]

(hand wave) *Yours is the comment we need to highly moderate.*

All you've done is planted the suggestion that you're not looking for your own comment...

(hand wave)I need to watch Star Wars again.

Re:Mind Trick

[Anonymous Coward]

This is not the comment you're looking for.

Move along.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

Dang it. I was about to post "First scruffy nerf-herder".

Re:Mind Trick

[rubycodez]

I am a 450 lbs. pizza-fed virgin living in my mother's basement. Your mind powers will not work on me, boy.

Re:Mind Trick

[Anonymous Coward]

My kind of girl - what's your number?

Re:Mind Trick

[bickerdyke]

Pizza the Hut?

Re:Mind Trick

[mordred99]

I thought Pizza the Hutt was dead .. he ate himself to death. Maybe I have slept since 1987.

Re:Mind Trick

[mordred99]

Damn .. I would not have posted this if I had read the one above .. It was not in my browser when I read this thread :( .. now I look lame.

Re:Mind Trick

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoosh to whoever marked this redundant.

mockery of the education system

[jgarra23]

That is just awful.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

What d'ye mean, man!

I took the "Sword in the Stone" course they offered a few semetsters back, and now I'm "Dux Bellorum", soon on my way to being the legendary Once and Future King of England! And need I remind you of the lovely ladies, swathed in luxurious white samite, that just crawl all over a SitS alum? I think not.

They say that 'strange women, lying around in ponds and distributing swords is no basis for a system of government'. I couldn't agree more - but what a way to sway the midaeval babes!

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

No one is pretending to offer an academic qualification.Queens is offering a philosophy course that tries to map ideas to a context familiar with and appealing to laymen. Consider this quote and stop being so bloody melodramatic:

"The one-day course costs £23 and Dr Baird hopes to attract 30-40 students. "

Re:mockery of the education system

[caitsith01]

Agree.

Universities might think they are being quirky, hip and clever doing this stuff, but what they are really doing is legitimising the view that anything vaguely humanities-oriented is a waste of time and should not be funded by any government or serious organisation. Unis are already struggling for funds in these areas, so why give the critics actual ammunition to help them?

If they really want to do something useful, they could try to integrate humanities subjects into non-humanities disciplines, to restore the notion of getting a 'well rounded education' and to give students of those disciplines a broader, better developed understanding of their discipline's context in the world. E.g. get mathematicians study the history and psychology of maths; get lawyers to lawyers study criminology and sociology; get engineers to study subjects which encourage a more holistic understanding of the effect of their discipline and the ways in which it can help or damage humanity and the environment.

In fact, fuck it: every single degree should include a component of studying (real) literature and history. The reason why should be self-evident if you take a quick look at Ms Palin's attempted book-banning antics.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Roger W Moore]

I find your lack of faith....disturbing

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Re:mockery of the education system

[kramulous]

I find your lack of faith ... disturbing

Re:mockery of the education system

[MindlessAutomata]

Palin didn't attempt to ban books.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp

Don't read everything you read on Digg or DailyKoS. Sheesh. I think every single degree should include a component in critical thinking and research... can you guess why?

Re:mockery of the education system

[lysergic.acid]

uh... you might want to read over that snopes article yourself.

she may have failed in her efforts to have books removed, but she did initiate discussions with the city librarian about removing "objectionable" books.

so i don't think the GP's statement is inaccurate.

Re:mockery of the education system

[lottameez]

You shouldn't call it an education just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.

Re:mockery of the education system

[YttriumOxide]

I wish people wouldn't do this... I see it a lot and it just makes you look like an idiot. To made a "Yoda-like" sentence, you do NOT just muddle the words up at random. Yoda has an idiosyncratic style to his speech, but it's not just random.
The quoted text, in Yoda's style of speech would be something like, "Your lack of faith, disturbing I find". Essentially, take the object (or object fragment) of the sentence first, then the adjective that the subject is being described as (if present) and finally the pronoun and verb.
He doesn't actually always follow this exact style though, but I assume it's more of a slip-up on the writers part. Sometimes he'll slip and make the sentence more like, "Disturbing I find your lack of faith", or "Your lack of faith, disturbing find I" (although this latter one more rarely and only with the third person as far as I've noticed - "Stupid, is he" (instead of the more standard "Stupid, he is" in Yoda's style))
Yoda's speech, it's also worth pointing out, is NOT grammatically incorrect - archaic, unusual and odd are all good words to describe it, however "incorrect" it is not.

And no, I'm not a Star Wars geek at all (I actually never really got in to it that much, although I have seen all 6 of the movies), but I AM a linguistics geek and find it really disturbing that anyone's quality of English could be so low as to not immediately recognise how Yoda's sentences are constructed (I was "comfortable" with it by about the third time he said anything the first time I ever watched it)

Re:mockery of the education system

[MindlessAutomata]

Yes, she did ask that, but unlike what he said, she did NOT request a list of books to be banned, ever. He was referring to the list of books; the list was a phony. Nothing more needs to be said.

How cute that I was modded down. Obama camp out in full force, "changing" politics as usual I see. I don't even like McCain or Palin; I'm just sick of the Obama fan's constant mudslinging and at times repeating lies. If the people on DailyKoS are anything like Obama then I really hope he doesn't become president (not that I hope McCain does, either...).

Re:mockery of the education system

[flabbergast]

If they really want to do something useful, they could try to integrate science subjects into non-science disciplines, to restore the notion of getting a 'well rounded education' and to give students of those disciplines a broader, better developed understanding of their discipline's context in the world. E.g. get science journalists to study math; get lawyers to lawyers study computer science; get business majors to study subjects which encourage a more holistic understanding of the effect of their discipline and the ways in which it can help or damage the engineers they will soon "manage".

There, I fixed that for you. I knew English majors that were proud of the fact that they never had to take a math class in college. Or anything related to engineering/physics/math. But I also knew engineers who were proud that they never had to read fiction in college. Being well-rounded goes both ways, its not like being a humanities major makes you well rounded.

Re:mockery of the education system

[lysergic.acid]

where exactly does he refer to a list of anything? here is what the OP wrote:

The reason why should be self-evident if you take a quick look at Ms Palin's attempted book-banning antics.

he referred to her attempt at banning books--which she did.

how cute that you still haven't read that snopes article you linked to.

Re:mockery of the education system

[renegadesx]

That is just awful.

Agreed, uni students are too old to begin the training

Re:mockery of the education system

[kipman725]

As an engineering student may I just say thats a bad idea. People trying to enforce their morals on me by encoraging a holistic understanding just annoys me. If I want to build a death ray for a mad dictator I will. Also that would mean less time studying what I'm actualy paying for.

Re:mockery of the education system

[qc_dk]

I agree, also you are not going to get any medieval babes, just because some aquatic biddy bestowed a scimitar upon you.

Re:mockery of the education system

[andy.ruddock]

The article only refers to "speculative discussions" about the "possibility" of removing books. Which is, to my mind, not attempting to ban books, although it may well have been a tentative first step.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

Up fuck the shut.

Re:mockery of the education system

[zangetsu]

Star Wars: a hypothetical universe in which the legislative branch gradually yields more and more power to the executive branch during war time, after which the balance of power is not restored because the executive branch had a hidden agenda to rule without checks and balances

That single aspect of the story merits more than a one day class.

Sci-fi movies tend to focus on special effects more than plot, but many of the books are steeped in political philosophy (I recommend Orson Scott Card)

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

He was quoting Vader, not Yoda, I think it's obvious that you're not a Star Wars geek

Re:mockery of the education system

[Narnie]

Why, if I paraded around saying that I get babes, they'd put me away.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

Yoda's a disgrace. There are plenty of language schools in my little town of 70,000 people. Are you telling me he couldn't find a qualified language teacher where he lives? Honestly. If I were him, I'd sign up for an intensive course. Maybe the Cambridge First Certificate in English.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Kozz]

YHBT. HAND.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Hognoxious]

what they are really doing is legitimising the view that anything vaguely humanities-oriented is a waste of time

Terrible. As if that needs doing!

Re:mockery of the education system

[Hognoxious]

Yoda was Russian?

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

No one is pretending to offer an academic qualification.Queens is offering a philosophy course that tries to map ideas to a context familiar with and appealing to laymen. Consider this quote and stop being so bloody melodramatic:

"The one-day course costs £23 and Dr Baird hopes to attract 30-40 students. "

Yes, please stop teasing them! The UK has enough troubles with their horribly old-fashioned deteriorating backwards educational system as it is. If it weren't for advancements like this, they might not even be able to attract those 30-40 students.

Re:mockery of the education system

[bkr1_2k]

That's mediaeval baebes, dude, get the spelling right at least... http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/home.html I'll admit, though, they are hot.

Re:mockery of the education system

[bkr1_2k]

Also that would mean less time studying what I'm actualy paying for.

An education? Seriously, how would having a broader knowledge base harm you in any way? Other than possibly helping you to remember to check spelling?

You're paying for knowledge. Knowledge comes in all forms and having a broad base actually makes you better at your specific discipline in most cases. As someone else said, it works in both directions. Ostensibly that's what primary and secondary education are for, but for some reason people forget they ever went to school before college.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

I like the syphillis, and lack of bathing.

Re:mockery of the education system

[MindlessAutomata]

He said, "attempted banning books", which can only refer to the list; what she DID was ask about the possibility of banning books--possibility as a part of a "test of loyalty."

In no way did she ever attempt to ban a book, though. Maybe you should head to a dictionary web site and look up the word "attempt", perhaps that will clear up some confusion over this matter.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Reapy]

I find it disturbing that anybody would make a point of trying to figure out how yoda talks...

Re:mockery of the education system

[AdamHaun]

As an engineering graduate I think it's a great idea. There are plenty of skills that come along with a well-rounded education which many engineers sorely lack. The most important one is communication. It drives me up the wall when I have to work with people who can't write their way out of a paper bag. Plus, in a large organization being good at explaining things is *very* useful, because there's a constant need to talk with management, customers, and other groups. Think about people like Einstein or Feynman and one of the first things that comes to mind is their communications skills.

It's especially important to teach such things in college because in the working world you're surrounded by bad habits, and it's only getting worse. Powerpoint is increasingly used as a substitute for real documentation, despite its horrible flaws. Few people provide context in their presentations or know how to address audiences larger than their current meeting. Most (almost all?) businesses rely on oral history instead of a written record. IMHO, we should go even farther and educate people in how to show information graphically, too. Read Edward Tufte's books to see how good (and bad) it can get.

If you're paying to become an engineer, then you want this stuff. Trust me, it's more than worth the time.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Eli Gottlieb]

Do you actually remember or know how much damn work goes into a science/engineering degree? You want us studying more damned humanities (my uni already forces the entire school to take 1/4 of our degree as general-education courses, UGH!), you give us the money to spend a fifth year in college taking all the crappy "literature" and learning the highly-politicized "history" we apparently need for a "well-rounded education".

I was well-rounded years before I set one foot on this damn campus. I don't need more people telling me I need to pay for more stupid classes where idiots sit around being lectured to on ideas I thought of myself back in freshman year of high school.

Re:mockery of the education system

[SnEptUne]

Hmm... Sounds like the anime Library Wars (Toshokan Sensou).

Re:mockery of the education system

[SnEptUne]

Having a fifth year is nothing! I have been in university for six years, studying literatures, psychology, economics, biology, hydrology, and computer sciences (which has a lot of mathamtics).

It isn't unusual to spend ten years in university for education. What's the meaning of having a degree if it meant the person is only good at that specific field?

Re:mockery of the education system

[Cornflake917]

Hmm. Strong with the pedantic force, this one is.

Re:mockery of the education system

[YttriumOxide]

I never made a point of "trying to figure it out" - it just seems incredibly obvious to me (just as there is no need to "figure out" that sticking a knife through your hand will hurt), and my post was basically me just venting a little frustration that at least a small number of people in the world are just so moronic as to not be able to do so.
Phrasing it as "figuring it out" implied I actually took the time to analyse it - I didn't. I've noticed many other people are able to phrase things in a Yoda-like way (see other replies), and I assume that not everyone is as interested in linguistics as I am, so even if they can't express exactly "how" it works, they know what sounds right and what doesn't - i.e. They didn't "figure it out" either, it was just obvious to them as it was to me. My frustration was similar to if people constantly started suggesting that sticking a knife through your hand is a painless experience.
My apologies to everyone for the offtopic rant.

Re:mockery of the education system

[YttriumOxide]

Hmmm... the original quote is of course Vader, but the "style" was an attempted mockery of Yoda, which failed miserably and I ranted a bit about it. I'm definitely not a Star Wars geek, but I am well aware of who in the movie used the original phrase.

Re:mockery of the education system

[YttriumOxide]

Actually, I don't think his English is that bad, considering he's an alien from another time and place. While the grammar may be very odd, his English definitely seems better than a lot of so called "native speakers" that I see here on Slashdot!

Re:mockery of the education system

[djp928]

My guess is, the meaning is "I'm good in this specific field." Which... is the point of a University education, isn't it?

Re:mockery of the education system

[Eli Gottlieb]

It isn't unusual to spend ten years in university for education.

Yes it is, unless you live in France where they keep you in university to keep you off the job market.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Walzmyn]

When the prequals came out, Frank Oz (Yoda and Miss Piggy's voice) explained the origin of Yoda's speach. Origionally his lines were written 'Normally". But Frank and Lucas got to talking about it and decided that if Yoda were 900 years old his speach should be different. What they came up with was supposed to be the more formal speach of a bygone era.

Re:mockery of the education system

[badkarmadayaccount]

You got anythiing better to do?

Re:mockery of the education system

[Hognoxious]

have been in university for six years, studying literatures, psychology, economics, biology, hydrology, and computer sciences

Just keep trying, maybe one day you'll find something you're good at.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Drugmath]

Hmmm... the original quote is of course Vader, but the "style" was an attempted mockery of Yoda, which failed miserably and I ranted a bit about it. I'm definitely not a Star Wars geek, but I am well aware of who in the movie used the original phrase.

If exact quotes are an attempted mockery of Yoda, did I just mock him by quoting you?

Re:mockery of the education system

[duckInferno]

Wwwwwwwow. Two whole paragraphs of Whooooosh.

I guess I was a little too subtle...

Re:mockery of the education system

[Anonymous Coward]

Orson Scott Card is a wonderful author, and you are right his books do carry a political AND moral message (yes I know there are no morals in politics but Card is uneducated in that realm...) Be aware though that Card's books are based in and heavily influenced by his Mormon faith and he does engage in a bit of "missionary salesmanship" from time to time.

Re:mockery of the education system

[The Iso]

I think you missed the -1 Redundant post by DuckInferno, which was the actual parent of Yttrium Oxide's post.

Re:mockery of the education system

[Reapy]

I know way past the threshold for people checking, but just posting back anyway...

No need for you to explain! Was just attempting a lame self geek mocking joke. I have ranted and analyzed in detail much sillier things then this, we all have, its part of being a geek :) I am sorry if any offense was taken at my comment! Carry on sir!

ConEd

[wiredlogic]

IOW. Learn how to be a con artist using this fictional philosophy as a framework.

Re:ConEd

[goose-incarnated]

IOW. Learn how to be a con artist using this fictional philosophy as a framework.

http://xkcd.com/451/

what crap

[jollyreaper]

I was planning on writing a snarky comment that the students would be better served studying the religions and philosophies that George Lucas ripped off his pop-culture understanding from but the Idle interface has given me something new to bitch about. How long ago did this thing roll out of their collective asses and why does it still look this awful? They should just heel this turd down the shower drain and be done with it.

Let me see your resume.

[Anonymous Coward]

These aren't the skills you're looking for.

sounds like

[v1]

someone has bats in their Belfast

New Test?

[NuclearError]

Do you have to pass a Midi Chlorian test instead of SAT (or the equivalent)?

Psychology?

[perlchild]

I think they need to look at the han solo character first, if they're looking for psychology. The Jedi order sounded like a great idea, until we met the Jedi council...

Re:Psychology?

[i.of.the.storm]

Han shot first!

Future Sith Lords?

[Nathanbp]

Jedi training worked so well for Anakin Skywalker after all...

Re:Future Sith Lords?

[NoobixCube]

I can just picture graduation. Someone doesn't pass, and he yells out "You're all COWARDS!! YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE!!!"

Re:Future Sith Lords?

[Anonymous Coward]

Jedi training worked so well for Anakin Skywalker after all...

Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader's character is based in part on the Athenian statesman and Socratic interlocutor, Alcibiades Cleiniou Scambonides, a classic example of what happens when education goes awry with a nations chosen son and as a result, causes that nations downfall.

Shameful pandering

[Oyjord]

As a professional educator, I find this type of class simply shameful pandering. It's no wonder we Americans are some of the least educated people in the industrialized world, wasting our time trying to make learning fun and cool! *facepalm*

Re:Shameful pandering

[Anonymous Coward]

You do know that Belfast is in Northern Ireland, right? This is a British college, not an American one.

That said, I don't disagree with you at all.

Re:Shameful pandering

[Oyjord]

Yes, I should have been more clear. I was transitioning into the notion that we in America are constantly doing the same thing at our colleges and universities (I see it all the time at my college), but I, erm, kind of skipped over the transition, heh. Sorry. :)

Re:Shameful pandering

[Roger W Moore]

Of course he didn't know that! Didn't you read his comment?

Re:Shameful pandering

[NoobixCube]

Case in point, when a professional educator didn't realise Belfast was in Ireland (or at least didn't read it thoroughly) :P

Re:Shameful pandering

[Anonymous Coward]

Bull. You weren't paying attention, didn't read the TFA, went off half-cocked, and made an ass of yourself. Don't make it worse with a pathetic, transparent excuse.

Re:Shameful pandering

[Anonymous Coward]

NORTHERN Ireland.

Re:Shameful pandering

[meringuoid]

NORTHERN Ireland.

Yes, that's right. Ireland. GP didn't say 'The Republic of Ireland', just 'Ireland'. What island is Belfast on? Great Britain? Iceland? Honshu? Perhaps Madagascar? No. It's in Ireland. If it wasn't in the north of Ireland, it wouldn't be called 'Northern Ireland', now, would it?

Re:Shameful pandering

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, and in another post, you confuse Paris with Moscow. You are not the brightest bulb.

Re:Shameful pandering

[genner]

Maybe he was thinking of Belfast, TN.

Too late

[mrslacker]

I put "Jedi Knight" as my religion on a census way back in 1998.

Re:Too late

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for identifying yourself as a loser.

Re:Too late

[lottameez]

Hey now, no need to be nasty. They need to be counted too.

jedi course you say?

[floatingrunner]

is yoda-speak english a pre-requisit for this course?

Re:jedi course you say?

[Anonymous Coward]

Educational standards declining they are. Burger-flippers, not true Jedi warriors, such courses will produce.

Re:jedi course you say?

[coren2000]

for this course, requisit is yoda-speak ... yes .... mmmmm

I'll ask what everyone else is thinking...

[MeepMeep]

Is there a 'How to make a lightsabre' lab?

(and make sure to follow up 'Coping with Accidental Autoamputation 201')

Re:I'll ask what everyone else is thinking...

[Anonymous Coward]

(and make sure to follow up 'Coping with Accidental Autoamputation 201')

I thought you said "Accidental Copulation".

Re:I'll ask what everyone else is thinking...

[Orion Blastar]

Yes and also a "Learn to use your bionic limb" class for those who accidentally amputate their own hands or had a fellow Jedi or Sith amputate theirs by mistake or on purpose, whatever. After passing that class, you get a neat black glove and matching black outfit to go with the bionic hand.

Also don't forget "How to speak with R2 units", "How to speak Wookie", and "How to tell if that hot babe in the metal bikini is really your long lost twin sister or not" courses.

Re:I'll ask what everyone else is thinking...

[Hal_Porter]

There's no danger of copulation with these people, accidental or otherwise.

Re:I'll ask what everyone else is thinking...

[Oktober Sunset]

While training as a Jedi there is apparently a risk of accidentally copulating with your sister.

Re:I'll ask what everyone else is thinking...

[XHIIHIIHX]

Won't someone please think of the ears.

That is nothing.

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear about a country were a vicepresident candidate want to teach that the world was created in 6 days and that there is no evolution.

Making comparations, this is a genius class.

Re:That is nothing.

[Oktober Sunset]

If your going to base what you teach off a fictional story, you may as well base it off a cool film rather than a boring old book.

Course material exposed!

[syousef]

Course material week 1: Lucasfilm business plan

1. Create 1 fantastic movie using lots of unknown talent very well suited to the role and breakthrough special effects.
2. Follow up with second epic film with weak ending
3. Complete the trilogy with not so brilliant film. Basic plot still brilliant, but add Ewok side plot for marketting
4. Build up marketting empire. Sell toys and licenses to computer games. Revel in the special effects success of the first 3 films. Spend spare cash on special effects empire and loan out for other films.
5. When marketting empire wanes, executive produce 3 crappy equally spaced prequels.
6. Produce bad cartoons when it turns out that your usual talent is less animated than the animations.

After each step above Profit!!!

Next week: Hookers and blow. How to maintain a family friendly facade.

Re:Course material exposed!

[Anonymous Coward]

2. Follow up with second epic film with weak ending

weak ending? oh my gosh!

it's the best final

you guys like fast, clear, white/black, good/evil, give me a medal, good work boy, do it quick, yes/no/c'mon!, fireworks endings !
(we in europe love that movie... :) so intense.., so complex ;)

Re:Course material exposed!

[TheVelvetFlamebait]

Basic plot still brilliant, but add Ewok side plot for marketting

Basic side plot exactly the same as first brilliant movie!

With breathtaking suspense, the rebels had to deal with a space station the size of a moon that could destroy planets. Now, how was poor old George going to finish his trilogy with the bang it deserves? Well, he just created a second death star! Oh, but this one had shield generators, and an emperor inside! Plus the old trench through which pilots had to fly while being chased by enemy fighters was replaced by a tunnel (through which pilots had to fly while being chased by enemy fighters)! And instead of that famous 2m hole requiring great skill and mastery of the force to hit in a single try, there's a big open space with a big thingy in the middle that can be shot by a one-eyed fighter pilot on an all-night bender!

Nah, I'm just kidding. It was a fun movie, even if it did feel a little bit too much like the first sometimes.

Re:Course material exposed!

[Oktober Sunset]

wow! I didn't realise the entire plot was just the last 10 minutes of the film!

In other news

[Brett Buck]

Parliment is rushing back to London to vote on dropping their accreditation!

      Brett

Where do I sign in?

[Boron55]

I sincerely want to sign in. This is a one day course and costs a little. I would call it a public lecture, if not the price.

As a fan of StarWars I would gladly pay my money for the opportunity to learn more of Jedi philosophy and how it can be applicable in our life.

Forget Jedi School

[sleeponthemic]

I'd like to enrol in the Han Solo School Of Seduction.

(He's a master! He hits A2 soo fast).

Re:Forget Jedi School

[ag0ny]

As requested.

Negative Reinforcement Education

[kmahan]

So you put on a blacked out helmet and the prof shoots you with a taser which you try to block with a staff?

Re:Negative Reinforcement Education

[scottrocket]

RogerRoger.

Re:Negative Reinforcement Education

[Oktober Sunset]

You should have your face stamped on for that. Bleugh!

So what are we saying here. . ?

[Fantastic Lad]

"When the student is ready, the application form will appear"?

-FL

halfway through the course

[circletimessquare]

a straight A previous graduate of the class returns and slaughters everybody

when asked about the appropriateness of this event, the professor shrugs and mumbles something about trying to be more kid-friendly

and that maybe he should have had an outside advisor look over the syllabus first, rather than just furiously typing it out in one evening and posting it without any peer review

when asked for feedback at the end of class, most students evaluated the class thusly: "showed a lot of promise at first, but failed to capitalize on goodwill and got rather lukewarm and stultified at the end"

What about the Sith?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why isn't there a corresponding course for aspiring Sith?

Hmmmm? They have something against the Dark side?

Bunch of damned racists.

Re:What about the Sith?

[TheVelvetFlamebait]

Your comment reminded me of this comic.

Offtopic? Come on mods! It's the idle section!

Re:What about the Sith?

[goose-incarnated]

Exactly my thoughts.

First was "Hang on - 'idle' - why the hell are they modding".
Nanoseconds later - "Wait, why don't they disable modding for idle?"
Hot on the heels of that - "Well, if a mod is stupid enough to waste their points in this section, isn't that a good thing?" ...

So it all works out - anyone stupid enough to waste their modpoints here would be incorrectly modding in the rest of slashdot, so perhaps it's best that we let them mod in here to keep their effect "out there" to a minimum :-)

Re:What about the Sith?

[Killjoy_NL]

I take the rest of Slashdot just as seriously as I do with the Idle section :)

Jedi Knights course?

[Orion Blastar]

You know, unless they start them training out young the Jedi council won't approve them to be trained. Also Master Yoda won't approve if he senses much fear in students. If these requirements are not met, chances are they will turn to the dark side and use their hate and anger instead of logic and reason.

I also heard rumor that Harvard and Yale have started their Sith Lords training course for those who don't fit the Jedi criteria.

There is also a "Using the Force for Dummies" book that is being written so the drop outs of those courses can still use the force even if they fail college.

As for me, I am a space pirate ninja from 4096 AD, I already have psionics training that far exceeds what the force training can do.

Re:Jedi Knights course?

[fireheadca]

Bah, you are not threat to us space pirate ninjas from 8192 AD. All your base are belong to the dark side. Make your peace.

Re:Jedi Knights course?

[Orion Blastar]

Yeah but in 8193AD you'll have to deal with the Vampire Fleets because in 8192 all Imperial and Solimani star ships got converted to the Microsoft Windows MCXXI codename "Pasidy" as Microsoft contracted out the Vargrs to outsource the design of it. It replaced the Amiga Research OS 4096 as the standard for your star ships, but in doing so made your star ships vulnerable to malware. The Twelve Colonies made the same mistake when they went to Microsoft to outfit their new Battlestars and Vipers with the latest and greatest from Microsoft until Cylon malware infected them and Commander Adama had to pull out the old Viper designs that still used Amiga Research OS and were immune to the malware.

So try to fight us space pirate ninjas from 4096AD when your starships turn into vampire fleets and your technology in 8193 AD turns against you.

John Titor failed in his mission because he took IBM technology and it got infected with malware, had he taken Amiga technology like AROS, he'd succeeded. So then I was sent to the past to get Amiga technology so we could help fight the malware.

Even your guns and light blades get infected and turn against you. Pwn3d!

Re:Jedi Knights course?

[MK_CSGuy]

Harvard and Yale have started their Sith Lords training course for those who don't fit the Jedi criteria.

Dude, they had this program for ages... I think it's called 'MBA'

Re:Jedi Knights course?

[david_thornley]

Harvard and Yale only offer the Sith courses in their business schools. Word is they got some pressure to make their MBA grads look more human.

Re:No not really

[RichardJenkins]

Sure it is a BurgerFlipper degree
No, it is a one day course.

Universities love serving up shit like this because it's an easy way to get funding for having lots of students without having to have pesky stuff like chemistry labs and professors that know a thing or two.
Not really. This is a one day philosophy course. I'm beginning to suspect you may not have read the article, or at least understand it.

Perhaps this is at least stupid enough that it gets the attention of parliament etc to rethink the role of universaities.
Parliament decided to make students pay for tuition through the nose long ago - anything that allows universities to raise cash will not be looked down onby the government. And.. I don't think this is stupid. I really hope this attracts people who'd otherwise discount any form of educatoin as viable.

Obligatory Yoda

[Anonymous Coward]

Wonder I am, people not way like this reply wrote...

You will never find...

[actionbastard]

a more wretched hive of scum and villany...

jesus fuck!

[Anonymous Coward]

do they make all students take it up the ass to prove how much a bunch of fags they are? this is soooo fucking homosexual that it screams 'pound me in the ass in the public restroom'.

btw: why is this section the worst looking and worst functioning part of slashfag? fucking bullshit. should be removed. cmdrdildo is a bitch.

Re:jesus fuck!

[evenmoreconfused]

>this is soooo fucking homosexual...

>cmdrdildo is a bitch

Sounds like you could be in for a good time tonight.

(I know, I shouldn't fall for these trolls, but I couldn't resist.)

Re:jesus fuck!

[Anonymous Coward]

Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:jesus fuck!

[Anonymous Coward]

and me without my mod points. well done.

New pick up line

[NaishWS]

Hey, least now it could be legitimate to tell a girl that you are studying to become a Jedi.

Re:New pick up line

[coren2000]

Didn't you learn ANYTHING from the prequels???!!!???

Desire leads to jealousy, jealousy leads to anger, anger leads to the dark side.

Re:No not really

[TheRealMindChild]

"educatoin" indeed

Re:No not really

[jgarra23]

Exactly why it is terrible. Serving the lowest common denominator is just a celebration of mediocrity, something higher education is supposed to not be. This as bad as standardized performance exams like the SAT and ACT or quotas in just ruining anything worthy in higher education.

Two Words....

[coren2000]

Wookie Porn

Re:Two Words....

[inKubus]

Three words: Wookie on Ewok

Re:Two Words....

[triffid_98]

Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of two-foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a major record company, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberatin' and conjugatin' the Emancipation Proclamation, [approaches and softens] does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests.

Re:Two Words....

[dkleinsc]

Hey, no making fun of furries! http://xkcd.com/471/

RTFA? On /.?

[EmbeddedJanitor]

Bah!

Be real

[Daengbo]

Call it a Buddhist seminary.

One last mind trick

[uss]

When its time to receive the grade for the course, you will see an A, but every employer you send the grades to, won't.
Or is that redundant?

Re:No not really

[lottameez]

I think it's just marketing. How many other classes at Belfast University make it onto /.?

great

[Brain Damaged Bogan]

another religion being taught in schools...

Re:great

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, considering most all colleges were started as places to teach ministers, that shouldn't be surprising.

too bad this isn't a religion, its just some geek obsessed people who accept a completely fictional movie, admittedly by its author and creator, as reality.

sadly enough, people actually believe stuff like this, just like "there is no God"

Re:great

[Brain Damaged Bogan]

the joke
^
|
|
your head

*whoosh*

Re:great

[Scannerman]

Remember that at the last official UK census approximately 400,000 people recorded their Religion as 'Jedi'. Thats around 25% of the number of muslims. and a couple of percent of the number of nominal christians.

Given the amount of Resource most universities allocate to invisible man in the sky related studies I think this is long overdue.

(This is the UK, we don't have the no religion in schools BS. We learn what a pile of crap it all is)

not really

[Anonymous Coward]

well, not really if that helps americans TO SEE that Darth vader is your father..

and that you should take the red pill. oh wait, that's another movie

Omg...

[Schmyz]

there are soo many great onliner responses to this story I cant even begin to come up with something witty. I do have to admit...I got a bad feeling about this....do you think the professors will have sudden feeling of thousands of voices crying out in pain then suddenly silenced all at once on exam days???

Re:Omg...

[wize-acre]

And that is why you fai

real life

[Anonymous Coward]

yes ok, I know we are the empire (US) ?

but what are you? a rebel from some JavatheHut's conclave resistance from the middle east?

we will get fully control over there. there are some interesting resources for our machinery.

Subject

[Legion303]

In other news, George Lucas was overheard mumbling "fucking geeks."

Re:No not really

[Exitar]

"I'm beginning to suspect you may not have read the article"

You are new here, aren't you?

Re:No not really

[Anonymous Coward]

Christ do you lot write stories for the Daily Mail in your spare time or something? You are all reacting like they are offering a 3 year degree course in this. Its just a one day course that will engage people in topics they might not usually consider and it might even be fun. You all need to get the fuck over yourselves, you really do.

Sure.

[Anonymous Coward]

Like there's a difference.

Re:Sure.

[andy.ruddock]

In the same way that there's a difference between USA and Canada.

Re:Sure.

[Anonymous Coward]

Northern Ireland is in the UK whereas northern Ireland is in the Republic.

Re:Sure.

[Anonymous Coward]

What, the US and Canada were one country for all of modern history and then partitioned 80 years ago, leaving a sizable amount of Canada's population still self-identifying as US citizens, and leading to a bloody 30 year civil war that has just been resolved?

I never knew that!

Re:No not really

[andy.ruddock]

At universaities no less!

Thick micks

[Anonymous Coward]

Paddies are all as dumb as rocks anyway.

P.S. Fuck the pope!

Re:No not really

[budgenator]

one would think to cover all of those topics through 6 films would require a week to achieve any depth and the rigor you would expect from a university course.

Re:No not really

[somersault]

A one day course? I think a day-trip to Belfast is in order so that I can put 'Jedi Knight' after my name instead of BSc.

Re:No not really

[Zwicky]

"Edumacation... it's pronounced edu-ma-cation"

Re:No not really

[somersault]

6 films? I thought it was 3? Wait.. something is coming to me.. argh no! The horror! Make it stop, make it stop!! FAAAATHEEEEEEEEEEEERRR!!!

What 6 films would those be?

Re:No not really

[somersault]

You must be new here.

There we go, fixed that for you.

In Soviet Russia, Jedi knights queen!

I, for one, welcome our Jedi ove.. meh, forget it.

And in the mean time...

[pandrijeczko]

...the poor and the elderly in the UK are going to be dying of hypothermia this Winter due to the lack of any government subsidies towards increased fuel bills for heating their homes!

But yes, we can afford to use taxes to finance the education system into delivering this shit.

I'm British and a Star Wars fan - and there used to be a time when I was quite proud of being both...

How to get your average fan to enroll?

[bugeaterr]

Jar Jar Binks practice dummy.

Re:No not really

[genner]

6 films? I thought it was 3? Wait.. something is coming to me.. argh no! The horror! Make it stop, make it stop!! FAAAATHEEEEEEEEEEEERRR!!!

What 6 films would those be?

I never got into Starwars. I prefer the 1 Matrix film.
I always wondered what it would be like if they made that into a trilogy.

EST Reborn(did it ever die)

[alex_vegas]

Hey so: 1) All of the "there is no try, only do" b.s. in Star Wars is stolen from EST, which allegedly destroyed Doug Englebart's company back in the day. 2) George Lucas is allegedly a facist, and Star Wars kind of sucks. It was awesome when we were 3-10 years old. Real science fiction is in books.

Re:No not really

[somersault]

Yeah, that was a great movie! Just imagine all the stuff they could do if they made some sequels!

Hey, when is that movie Wall-E coming out? The adverts looked pretty interesting, I have to say.

Pussy Nazi Sez

[Anonymous Coward]

No pussy for YOU!

The Dork Side

[frozenray]

Beware of the dork side. Once you step down the dork path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!

You will live in your mother's basement. You will never kiss a girl. The only girls you will ever see will be pr0n on the internet. You will have no outlet but playing with your own light saber.

Don't cross over to the dork side.
---
(Full credit for this one goes to /. user macdaddy357)

Not sure if it's true..

[dave562]

If this is a joke, it went right over my head. If it's true, I can see some value in it. I was reading a lot about Daoism when the most recent series of movies came out. A lot of what Yoda had to say was in line with a lot of Daoist and Buddhist philosophy.

Re:No not really

[DinDaddy]

" I'm beginning to suspect you may not have read the article, "

Snicker

This is incredibly off topic

[s73v3r]

But did anyone else have a giant ad for the "Scientology Video Channel" directly underneath the story? Complete with the tagline of "Get the Facts?" Methinks maybe the /. editors may also have fallen to the Dark Side.

Re:This is incredibly off topic

[XHIIHIIHX]

The dark side it will keep you from, a subscription to slashdot will.

Droid Fees?

[Saint_Waldo]

Droids?! We don't allow their kind in here!

George? Is that you?

[XHIIHIIHX]

They're just trying to churn out a bunch of presidential alumni actually.

They have these in the U.S. Too

[phreakhead]

No big deal. At my university (University of California, Santa Cruz) we had a class called "Queer and Transgendered Issues in the Star Trek Universe."

Makes you wonder why Kirk and Spock were always so chummy...

I was going to take this course...

[dbrossard]

But instead I'm going in to Toschi station to pick up some power converters.

Byjeerrowng

[Undertone]

Now all they need to do's hurry the fuck up and invent lightsabers and they can charge what they like!

Toy Story and Big Lebowski Religions

[Anonymous Coward]

Star Wars isn't the only Hollywood movie to spawn a new religious movement. The movie The Big Lebowski inspired a religion called Dudeism and their is a Toy Story religion called Universal Protectionism. One can learn about Dudeism at http://www.dudeism.com and the Toy Story religion at http://www.geocities.com/universalprotectionism. I get a hoot out of both of them.