OFFICIAL28 Why does the professor say this?

[00:00.00]Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and his academic advisor.
[00:05.58]MALE STUDENT: Hi, sorry I'm late, Professor Blaine.[00:11.33]FEMALE ADVISOR: No problem, Jim. [00:12.66]So you've got some questions about your senior thesis requirement?[00:16.38]MALE STUDENT: Yeah, I've got a couple of problems actually. [00:18.82]So, the first thing is, you normally write it during the first half of the academic year, right? [00:24.59] In your final year of studies?[00:26.68]FEMALE ADVISOR: Right.[00:27.53]MALE STUDENT: But I have my student teaching scheduled for that time—[00:30.12] I wanna teach high school English after graduation. [00:33.05]So I really need to give that my full attention, [00:35.69]and I just worry that I won't be able to if I'm writing my senior thesis at the same time. [00:39.87]I mean, it's supposed to be 35 to 50 pages. [00:43.36]That's a serious commitment.[00:45.24]FEMALE ADVISOR: You're right, [00:45.98]but it really isn't a problem.
[00:47.69]MALE STUDENT: Really?
[00:48.47]FEMALE ADVISOR: No, a lot of English majors get teacher certification. So we have students like you do their senior thesis after their student teaching. [00:56.59]It works out well, because many students want to use a unit they taught as the basis of their paper. [01:02.04]So you'll just enroll in a thesis seminar for the second semester.
[01:06.12]MALE STUDENT: Well, that's a big relief. [01:08.18]But it brings us to my second problem. [01:10.40] I've really focused my studies on Old and Middle English literature. [01:14.37] I'm even thinking about doing a graduate degree with a concentration in that after I've taught for a while. [01:19.69]So I was hoping to do my senior thesis on Chaucer, on The Canterbury Tales, because that would obviously be useful if I do go on. But...
[01:27.91]FEMALE ADVISOR: Ahh, but Professor Johnson ...[01:30.86]MALE STUDENT: Exactly, Professor Johnson is going to be taking a sabbatical to do research in France during the second half of the year. [01:37.04]So, without him around, I'm, uh, not sure how I could do a senior thesis on The Canterbury Tales. [01:43.03] I mean, the focus of his teaching and research is unique around here.
[01:46.45]FEMALE ADVISOR: Yes, I understand [01:47.99]It would be difficult to do your paper without Professor Johnson around. [01:51.37]Hmm. Would you allow me to try to sell you on an alternate plan?[01:56.40]MALE STUDENT: Well, you can try ...[01:58.19] but Chaucer's sort of my hero, if you know what I mean.[02:01.43]FEMALE ADVISOR: Well, I'm teaching a course on the literature of the Renaissance in the first half of the year. [02:06.30] It'll meet late in the day, so it won't interfere with your teaching. [02:10.09] And I haven't offered it in quite a while now, so I doubt you've ever studied that period on the college level.
[02:16.33]MALE STUDENT:No, I haven't.[02:17.37]FEMALE ADVISOR: If you'd be interested in taking the course, I'd be happy to give you supplemental readings. And I'd also be happy to be your advisor for your paper later on.[02:24.94]MALE STUDENT:Well I've never looked at that area before, but I've always had an interest in it, [02:29.29]so that does have a certain appeal.[02:31.10]FEMALE ADVISOR: Well, if you do decide to go this route, I would make that decision soon, and I would use this summer productively. [02:37.91]After all, this is not going to be like taking an intro course.