| Well gentlemen, we've almost finished our second semester at this university. |
| What do you think of all the courses we attend? |
| On the whole, I'd say they're quite good, |
| apart from Social History, which I find to be a little too inexact. |
| Yes, the lecturer's style is also very very dull. |
| I certainly agree with you there, |
| although I would say that the textbook is more interesting. 'Welfare State'. |
| The subtitle says, 'An examination of social development in the 20th century.' |
| Yes, 'Welfare State' is a good book, but look how many pages it has. |
| 458! |
| I agree. It's just too long to be easily read. |
| Far too long, although it's certainly well written in parts. |
| Yes, and if you compare it to the textbook for Cultural Studies, what's it called? |
| 'Inner Views', I think. |
| No, that's the book for Media Studies, and we finished that subject last semester. |
| The book you're thinking of is 'In Perspective'. |
| Sorry, you're right. 'In Perspective'. |
| And the subtitle says, 'A comparison of social groups.' |
| Somewhat interesting, wouldn't you say? |
| Well, mildly so, as is the subject, |
| dealing as it does with such a wide variety of issues, |
| but the book itself certainly oversimplifies a very complex subject. |
| I agree. I also got annoyed at its constant oversimplification. |
| Life is more complicated than what it suggests. |
| Yes, but what you call 'oversimplifying' may well be considered 'clarifying'. |
| Look at this other textbook, 'Government in Action'. |
| Some may say that it also oversimplifies, |
| but it must do so in order to present a coherent picture of an equally complex subject. |
| 'Government in Action'? Which subject...? |
| It's the textbook for 'Political Theory'. |
| Oh, I hate politics. |
| That's why I don't like the 'Active Leadership' subject, either. |
| And most of the stuff in that 'Political Theory' textbook is based on the American system. |
| You see, it's written by Americans, so it's not even relevant to us here. |
| I'd agree with you there, |
| it's not relevant to us at all, since our government uses the Westminster system. |
| Yes, I suppose that is a problem. |
| Well, it seems we all have certain criticisms about the textbooks we're using, |
| but at the same time, we all like some elements, at least, of the subjects we're studying. |
| What's your favourite subject, David? |
| I'm not sure. I like Political Theory, but... |
| Cultural Studies is by far the best, even better than Political Theory, |
| which I also like, but just not as much. |
| Why do you say that, Steve? |
| I was thinking, perhaps, Social History is worth considering as best. |
| Social History is good, but I made my choice because the subject is relevant to this modern society. |
| But so is Social History, and I like the historical element, |
| which the other subjects lack. |
| Even Political Theory examines history only briefly, and in a very narrow way, |
| so I'd say Social History is the most rewarding for me. |
| What about you, Susan? |
| I think Social History is certainly very good, |
| but Political Theory is, in fact, the best, |
| since basically, every human system boils down to politics. |
| So, despite a certain irrelevancy in the details, |
| the basic message remains as relevant as ever. |
| Oh Susan, you can't be serious. |
| Let's ask Olive, again. |
| She's over there. |
| Olive! Which subject do you think is the best? |
| Ah, a difficult question. |
| I'm very interested in culture, |
| so Cultural Studies is certainly my cup of tea, |
| but I'm politically active also, and hope to pursue this as a career, |
| so Political Theory would be the one I'd pick. |
| I don't believe it. Even with that irrelevant textbook? |
| Don't listen to him, Olive; you have a right to your own opinion. |