camilyon said:
How do people study and MSU? Do they learn more than one science/art there?
To understand the reasoning for the naming of our schools, you need a bit of a history lesson. There came a point in time when Mr. Parker had been exposed to the traditional Okinawan, Japanese, and lastly Chinese arts, that he made a conscious decision to break away from all the traditions in favor of an American Academic approach to his personal teachings. Leaving tradition behind, he removed virtually all non-English terminology and references with one exception. He literally became a student academic of the Martial Sciences, and suggested I do the same.
He abandoned the original ‘yudanshakai’ authority he created, and left it to the Tracy’s and others. He dropped all references tied to those traditions. He eliminated ‘dan’ grades and ranking and substituted ‘degrees.’ Among the upper degrees, students became ‘professors,’ and ‘masters of the arts,’ etc. ‘Certificates’ became ‘diplomas,’ and ‘dojo’s’ and ‘kwoon’s’ became schools (commercially ‘studio’s’). In the old ‘club’ days, the money you paid for lessons was called ‘dues.’ Mr. Parker changed that to ‘tuition.’
The point is Mr. Parker was making a conscious effort to legitimize the study of the ‘martial sciences,’ (not to be confused with ‘martial arts’ which he overtly placed in a separate category). He spoke about how one day a person would be capable of attending a Martial Science College and acquiring an accredited degree in the sciences. When you look at the categories available for academic acceptance, he reasoned, “There is no reason why Martial Science should not be among them.”
This is what he emphasized as an example of how I should approach teaching, as well as the expectations I should have of my students. To that end, our approach to teaching has always been modeled after the college experience, and initially we called ourselves the “College of Martial Science” after Mr. Parker’s passing.
As we began to interact with others who had a similar non-commercial perspective to teaching in other arts as well, we expanded the name to “Martial Science University.” With reputable department heads representing their respective disciplines, we feel we have assembled a credible staff of instructors. We teach a number of different sciences, but only from the perspective of the conduit of human anatomy as it pertains to out namesake goals.
Traditionally, when we have large physical exams we invite teachers from outside the University to sit as a panel of advisors to observe the quality of our student candidates. We have had (The late) Edwin Hamile and Dr. Bernd Weise from Shotokan. Ralph Castro from early Kenpo Karate and Shaolin Kenpo. Steve Hearing from Ed Parker’s early Chinese Kenpo. Barbara Hale, Jack Autry, and Frank Trejo from Ed Parker’s ‘motion’ Kenpo. Douglas Wong from White Lotus Kung Fu. Isaiah Williams and Curtis Faust from Lima Lama, and Taroo Mason from Goju Ryu. In-house we have all of those previously listed in the initially post.
No, we are not an accredited university, nor do we pretend to be. But neither are we a commercial karate studio. We are not listed commercially nor do we advertise locations. Preliminary interviews are by appointment only, and a personal historoy assessment is a factor in acceptance. We do have many academics with substantial degrees and education numbered as students and teachers in more than one country. The name signifies our approach to teaching, and the expectations we have for anyone who would apply to enroll. There is a rigorous selection process as any “university” to be admitted, and many are turned a way. Our written tests are long and are essay instead of multiple choice. The physical exam demands you demonstrate a credible command of the curriculum, and only your actual “academic classroom hours” are counted, not nebulous weeks, months, or years of attendance. It was Mr. Parker’s true dream that someday someone will finish the process he started, and give the martial sciences the credibility it deserves in an actual accredited university. The term “Martial Science,” which I got from him will always be associated with Mr. Parker’s efforts as we and our successors work toward the goal.
