"Alright, let's wrap up today's class. You can start packing your things while I go over some of the details of the two essays that I collected last week."
"What pleases me is everyone handed in their assignments within the deadline, and each of you met the required word count. There were no instances of plagiarism or unoriginality that I could find. I want to give special recognition to those whose handwriting was exceptional; Alan, Palanis, Johnson..."
Shiller flips through the essays one after the other but doesn't comment much on the content. This is because these two assignments were meant to be simple class summaries, not comprehensive examinations of complicated theoretical concepts. It was more about expressing personal opinions.
With such assignments, most professors allow students the freedom to express themselves. As long as they don't veer off the topic drastically, it is considered satisfactory.
After finishing the discussion of last week's assignment, Shiller starts planning the homework for the current class. He places a hand on the lectern, flips the textbook open on the podium, and says, "The analysis of practical cases has concluded. Starting from the next lecture, we will focus on strengthening theoretical knowledge."
"The good news is, you won't have to see dead bodies on the classroom screen at the start of the lecture, but studying theoretical knowledge requires a greater focus."
"In regards to homework, the sections in which you'd freely discuss your viewpoints will be minimized. You will need to memorize more. Shortly, I'll send the teaching plan for tomorrow's lecture. You should review the first half for tomorrow. I'll select students at random for questioning..."
The students in their seats take notes about the assignment details. Once Shiller hands out the teaching plan, he begins to draw circles around the important parts. After class, as students pack up and leave and Shiller tidies up the books on the lectern, Barry comes over and asks, "Professor, does this mean we begin the theory studies tomorrow? Isn't that a bit too fast?"
"You think the teaching pace is too fast?" Shiller asks him. He pauses tidying up and continues, "I know, students here aren't becoming psychologists; they're studying psychology to apply alongside criminal investigation techniques, thus, the emphasis on practical application."
"So, I hope I can elaborate more on application scenarios. I want to show how psychology gets implemented in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's case solving processes. This portion took longer."
"They have limited time here, so I must accelerate the learning pace, quickly enter the theoretical section, then continue with case analysis after they have gained some theoretical knowledge. This process needs repetition, to strengthen their application skills."
"Of course, this might mean they won't have much time to consolidate the knowledge they gain. Do you also think it's too fast? Perhaps, I can give them an extra class to write a summary essay."
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant." Barry, having heard all of Shiller's teaching philosophy, finally responds: "What I meant was, do you have enough time to prepare lessons? When you were analyzing case studies, I wanted to ask you, where did you find so many unusual but relevant cases? They aren't in textbooks."
Shiller flipping through his papers says, "It's not hard. You just have to go through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's case library."
Besides, every case that has never appeared in a Psychology class means rewriting the teaching plan from scratch, without reference to prior experience, as well as incorporate the application of psychology. "How do you manage to finish writing for all these new cases?"
"It's not hard to write a lesson plan; there is a set structure for that, and psychological analysis is not as hard as you imagine."
"But I saw you writing lesson plans in your office at 3AM yesterday when I was out for my run."
About to respond, Shiller was interrupted by Barry saying, "I am a criminal investigation technician too. I have worked in the police stations, courts, and forensic technology centers. I know how hard it is to write an analysis report for each case. You mustn't have slept much in over a week, right?"
Shiller shook his head, stacking up the books in hand, lightly tapping them on the table to align. He said to Barry, "The serious violation of running at night time is against the student code. I will remember to deduct some points from your final grade."
Saying this, Shiller picked up his material and files, and walked out of the class. Barry, looking thoughtfully at his retreating figure, stroked his chin pensively.
On the street of Seashore City in the afternoon, the tarred road radiating a slightly pungent smell. A rather tender hand stretches past the glass window, passing a roll of US Dollars, and says, "Two ice creams, please. One chocolate and vanilla. The other one, strawberry and vanilla."
"I don't want strawberry." Another youngster's head popped out, "I want to taste this one, what flavor is this?"
The ice-cream cart owner looks at the two kids who've leaned out of the window and gives a bright smile, "That's local specialty caviar. If you're not allergic to seafood, you must try it."
"Then one will be caviar and vanilla..."
"Oh my god, caviar! Harley! Have you gone mad? How could ice-cream be caviar-flavored! Yuck!"