Professor reflects on teaching, life and love songs
By Emily Bjorklund
Political science professor Greg Corning is playing the role of teacher one-last time next quarter, before he begins a three-year term as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Corning has taught comparative politics and international relations, with a focus on Japanese and Asian politics, at Santa Clara for the past eight years. He will return to his original trade in fall 2008, after serving administration time due to a regular interval of "faculty governance," as he calls it in his intriguing blend of accents derived from a childhood divided between London and New Jersey.
After graduating from Brown University, Corning spent three years in Japan as part of his post-graduate work, and then took his first teaching position at the University of Texas at Austin.
Outside of academia, Corning indulges in the frivolities of pop culture that his students are accustomed to: His favorite TV shows include "West Wing," "24" and "Star Trek." And his musical canon is comprised of the 1970s British rock icons he was exposed to while living in London, including Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes and Led Zeppelin.
While he does not own one himself, a pre-programmed iPod outfitted with all of his favorites would be his choice of entertainment if stranded on a desert island, along with a bottle of Bombay Gin and an oversized goose down pillow. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Corning revealed that his favorite romantic movie is "When Harry met Sally," and his favorite love song is "Don't Give Up," by Peter Gabriel.
"It's not the typical love song about falling in love like his more well-known song, 'In Your Eyes,' but one about a couple growing closer as their world falls apart," he said. "You don't get that kind of perspective in too many pop songs."
Corning says that there is a lot more pressure to spend money on gifts for Valentine's Day now than when he was in college, or even in Japan where he saw the transplanted, highly commercialized version of the American holiday. However, he is not neglecting the holiday all together this year and has plans to take his girlfriend to dinner followed by the Johnny Mathis concert.
Over the years, Corning has heard many students complain about their dating options and admits that his own Valentine's Days at Brown were very low-key.
The only advice Corning could give on how to celebrate romance was to "figure it out on your own. If you really like the person it will come naturally, and if you're desperate, it just won't work."
* Contact Emily Bjorklund at (408) 554-4546 or ebjorklund@scu.edu.