illusion that there is.

Of course, why would some- one want to give up their own power or recognition in exchange for some- one else's freedoms? And here lies the problem.

The need to recognize dif- ference is not about sym- pathizing with a group of oppressed people, but rather about understand- ing and recognizing that we are implicated in the maintenance of privilege towards only a select few.

It is frustrating that once peo- ple develop an idea, or a certain under- standing of the world, that it becomes so engrained in their belief systems, that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Unfortunately, these beliefs often close our minds, and eliminate the ability to respect and understand other peoples' experiences and perspectives. The need to recognize difference is not about sympathizing with a group of oppressed people, but rather about understanding and recognizing that we are implicated in the maintenance of privilege towards only a select few. It is somewhat alarming to me when I realize, that although women have come a long way in the past century, there is still so many issues that involve an imbalance of power

between people that still go unrecog- nized.

As we begin to understand and recognize the imbalance of power between groups of people, and that dif- ference if often a determining factor in the development of this power, we begin to question exactly what differ- ence is. A loaded question. The debate about difference is often chal- lenged, or compared to what we can prove scientifically, and what we ‘know.’ Yet we must recognize that difference is always historically and culturally specific, and cannot be easi- ly measured because of this.

The attitudes towards differ- ence also varies, and depends not on what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong,' but rather on what is socially acceptable at the time. Yet we must also recognize that differ- ence is as often an individual identity as it is a categorical one, and enabling large and powerful institutions to maintain power over defining appro- priate terms to label certain groups, enables the practise of exclusion.

So after reading this article I again challenge you to think about the two questions I began with. Is Feminism Dead? and, Is There Still a Need For Feminism in the Academy Today? Unfortunately the answers to these questions, or any other questions surrounding social distinctions, are dif- ficult to determgne, because, in reality, they are always changing.

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English Is At Work at UPEI

By Julie VEINOT

This semester UPEI has a new course, designed to make the transition from essays and lectures to the world of business.

English 493, Literature at Work and the World, is being offered for the first time at the this university. Adapted from a similar model for Guelph's Sociology and Anthropology courses, English 493 is open to stu- dents in their final semester of their fourth year. Students must be nearly finished their English Majors or Honours degree, though with their instructors' permission, they may take the course.

Dr. Shannon Murray and Dr. Jane Magrath are spearheading the

program, which has been planned over the past year.

Dr. Murray says it is some- times a problem for English students to find jobs after graduation that will use their skills, gleaned from the literature texts and other English courses they © have taken.

The course, filled with nine students now, allows soon-to-be gradu- ates to look back at what they've learned in the course of attaining their education.

"We want the students, at the end of the course, to make connections with what they've read," says Dr. Murray.

Sometimes that can mean

looking at how a novel is made into a film, or how their school skills trans- late into job skills. In English 493, assignments include making connec- tions with the literature they've read, understanding world topics like cen- sorship, Oprah's Bookclub, and even how the Harry Potter series have allowed children to read.

On the practical side, students will make a portfolio of their work that includes their goals. They will also job shadow someone who is working in a field. After picking this person, they will look at how the that person received that job.

Students will also look at the

majors (one of the required texts of the course is Great Jobs for English Majors).

Dr. Murray says while Arts students do not do poorly on a long- term basis {they often make the same salary as people from other disciplines) in the first years after graduation, it can be hard for them to make more. It's a slow start for them.

With this course, that may change.

One piece of advice she gives to all students who plan to use their education as part of their portfolio: "Never throw away a piece of work."

You just don't know when you'll need it.

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