While course material is one of the most crucial elements of any class, many students’ experiences are defined by the quality of their instructors. As a result, professors that are strong communicators have always made their courses special through an ability to connect with students on a deeper level.
One such instructor is Dr. Eric Maguire, who has taught a seminar on rap music since 2016. “MUS327 focuses on rap, trap, trip-hop, grime, and many of the so-called ‘bangers’ of the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first centuries,” Maguire tells The Boundary. The 43-year-old often wears over-distressed JNCO jeans, a Yankees flat cap, a hoodie, and a fresh pair of Jordans to the seminar in an effort to “keep it informal.” Maguire, a self-described “J Cole stan,” explains that he really wants to get to know the students as peers rather than as a professor double their age.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I wanna do with my life either,” Maguire was heard saying to his class, before asking if they could recommend any internship opportunities. “Would you guys be interested in a podcast? I’ve also heard that blogs are picking up steam––I can sign up for a Medium account! That’s where the intellectuals go, right?”
As Dr. Maguire’s search for a fulfilling career continues, he will continue to instruct his students at UofT part-time. Dr. Maguire asks us to encourage Boundary readers to send him any CLNx job postings that are applicable to his undetermined interests, and also to email him if you “have any connections.”
Photo Credit: Natalie Cader-Beutel