I am someone who desperately needs people to know how smart I am feels that it is sometimes nice to be recognized by my peers for my hard work in acquiring knowledge. Thus, as a strategy to both assert myself as the alpha show my interest to the professor and to soothe my self-hatred bond with classmates who may like to talk to me later about the content I am demonstrating my familiarity with, I nod my head vigorously and often. I’ve been doing this for quite a while, and have also read the literature on the topic, so I have a working, albeit fluid and ever-evolving, understanding that I would like to share with you. I have found that nodding your head at the following times will give you the greatest chances of aura acquisition.
1. Professor mentions foucault’s the History of Sexuality (NOT foucault’s Discipline and Punish (too basic; everyone knows about panopticism))
2. Professor mentions a social media phenomenon, but in an intellectualized way
3. A classmate opens up about a traumatic event in their past that allowed them to relate to the reading in a unique way
4. A classmate reads their shitty poem aloud but takes vast pauses (every thirty seconds)
5. Professor asks if anyone has read a book (you have not read the book)
6. Someone else is nodding their head more than you (nod harder)
7. You have no idea what is going on
8. Professor mentions bell hooks
9. Professor opens up about the Betrayal and subsequent divorce
10. You feel your aura slipping
Disclaimer: The following list is intended for humanities-based seminar-style courses. For best results, use list in a critical theory-based seminar, an English seminar, or a Literary Arts seminar. Can also work for philosophy seminars, but not the math ones. Can also work for ethnic studies seminars, but be careful not to nod at the wrong time, i.e., at racism. Can also work for advanced language seminars, if you like and understand that sort of thing. That being said, proceed and nod away!