[00:00.00]NARRATOR:Listen to a conversation between a student and her academic advisor.[00:05.07]FEMALE STUDENT: Hi, Professor Jones. Thanks for seeing me.
[00:08.31]MALE PROFESSOR: No problem, Laura. How was your summer break?
[00:10.92]FEMALE STUDENT: It was great! But the fact is, it's made me reconsider my academic plans.[00:17.40]MALE PROFESSOR: Oh really...? Nothing too dramatic, I hope.[00:20.30]FEMALE STUDENT: No, no, at least I hope not.[00:23.88]MALE PROFESSOR: What do you mean—exactly?[00:26.20]FEMALE STUDENT:Well, I just spent the summer working on a Native American reservation, a Navajo reservation, in Arizona. [00:33.17]And I was fascinated... so, now I want to study the Navajo language, um, their history, religion... [00:39.91]I want to go back next summer, too, [00:42.11]and maybe even spend a semester there, some kind of internship or independent study.
[00:47.54]MALE PROFESSOR: Wow, sounds like you're really enthusiastic. But, you were majoring in sociology and I seem to recall that for your senior project you were doing something with education...
[00:57.91]FEMALE STUDENT: Right. I've done some research on the public schools in the northeastern states... how they've been affected by changes in population... um... immigration trends—during the past 50 years. [01:10.56]But now, I really want to study the culture of the Navajo people.[01:15.26]MALE PROFESSOR: Well, there are a couple of options . . . depending on your priorities. [01:20.59] Say, how'd you end up on a reservation in Arizona anyway?[01:24.35]FEMALE STUDENT: Well, a friend of mine took a job there . . . uh, in a summer-school program... [01:28.61]and they had another opening—[01:30.54]someone canceled at the last minute. [01:32.42]I thought it would just be a big adventure. But it turned out to be much more than that.[01:37.54]MALE PROFESSOR: I see. Anyway, as I was saying, your options depend on what your priorities are... and on exactly what you want to study.[01:47.05]FEMALE STUDENT: UH, like I said...Navajo culture.[01:50.50]MALE PROFESSOR: Let's see if we can be more specific. [01:52.80] If you want to study the Navajo language, learn about their religion, their history... that's part of cultural anthropology.[02:00.00]FEMALE STUDENT: No, I really don't want to change majors at this point. [02:03.59]I love sociology, and I really want to graduate in four years.[02:07.69]MALE PROFESSOR: OK, now I see what your priorities are. [02:10.95] So, from a sociological perspective... since you're interested in education, you can stay with that... change your research topic to the Native American experience with public education... the effect it's had. [02:24.43]And you could take sociology courses on religion or the role of minorities in society... again, focusing your research on the Navajo.
[02:32.74]FEMALE STUDENT: Um, I hadn't thought about that angle. [02:35.51]Sounds intriguing. [02:37.32]And all the courses I've already taken would still count toward my degree?
[02:42.30]MALE PROFESSOR: I'd have to check, [02:43.68]and we might need to plan carefully to make sure all your degree requirements are met, but I don't see any problems.[02:50.16]FEMALE STUDENT: Great. And then I can pick up the language and culture courses as electives.