The School/Uni Thread

[unknown]

I took a class last semester called Comic Spirit...it was a comparative lit class so we watched movies, read books and plays. The professor was great, and some of the material was amazing.

The linguistics course I took was really interesting. We talked about language acquisition, how people learn to speak, and we focused a lot of attention on ESL. The class ended with a project where we had to an interview an ESL speaker and analyze their language...mine ended up being twenty pages. It was great.

My geology field lab was pretty freaking sweet. Hiking and camping for class credit instead of sitting in a lab? Sign me up

There was also the class I co-taught. That was a blast, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of students to work with.

Most boring class I've had was 18th century- Modern British Literature, and it was largely the fault of the professor. Good god I've never been that bored by a professor. Some of the material was also pretty horrendous but whatever.

Grammar is a close second place for most boring class.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

I read that as "Cosmic Spirit"! I was like "Oh California colleges!!!"

 

[unknown]

I'm sure Berkeley would have something like that


goddamn hippies

 

[cookiecutter]

Sounds like me, only I have abundant knowledge of the subject. Like yesterday, some discussion I had with a friend yesterday led me to enlightening him about the etymology of the terms "martial law", "venereal disease", "volcano" and "breakfast cereal".

Frankly it was pretty annoying when you did it, but at least you were right most of the time.

 

[Zephyrus]

I can't help it. Why do you think I'm going to be a Latin teacher?

 

[Death Aflame]

So how did everyone's midterms go?

I got back two of mine so far and am disappointed with my grade on one but happy with the other. For instance, I got a 92% on my Hong Kong Cinema midterm for which I only studied the entire day before (this is Canada so that is an A+ btw). The disappointing one was for my Sociology of Mass Communications class in which I got only a 73% (B-). It was comprised of two essay questions both worth 10 marks, the first one I got a 9/10 (deserving considering I spent the greater part of an hour out of the hour and 20 minutes we were alloted to do it) while on the second one I only managed a paltry 5.5/10. Fortunately, I think this will improve once I have my instructor re-evaluate it because he seemed to be under the impression that I was trying to answer the first question about two specific theorists (in which case it would appear that I did not talk about one of the theorists at all) when in actuality I was responding to the third more open-ended question that allowed us to compare and contrast any two theories/sociological models that purported to describe the effects of the media on the masses. It is my hope that once the instructor realizes that I was writing an essay with the later in mind and not the former that it will boost my mark into the more acceptable range of an A- or even a B+. [/rant]

 

[unknown]

I still have three weeks until mid terms

 

[Death Aflame]

I still have three weeks until mid terms

I don't know if this is a good or bad thing . For me I'll be in the middle of essay season, which is always fun.

 

[cookiecutter]

I just took my Sociology midterm yesterday and I haven't gotten my Greek History one back yet. I expect to do well on both though.

 

[Zephyrus]

I submitted my Latin Literature midterm last night. I had to translate a passage from Cicero's De Oratore about Demosthenes. I nailed it on the head, especially after I realized that the word spiritus can mean "breath" as well as "spirit".

I got my Roman History midterm back yesterday. I got a 96, after hearing that most of the class did poorly. It covered the founding of Rome up through the Gracchi brothers.

For Honors I have to do a 7-page paper on the topic of my choice, relevant to the books we've read so far this semester. I'm going to discuss how these books are political responses to the Roman government. It's due Friday, but my teacher is very lenient and said I have until the end of vacation to submit it electronically.

All my other classes don't have midterms.

 

[unknown]

I just finished my story for my nonfiction class

 

[Death Aflame]

What was your story about?

 

[Matt]

I don't know if this is a good or bad thing . For me I'll be in the middle of essay season, which is always fun.

Why the fuck do you never play Halo

 

[Death Aflame]

Why the fuck do you never play Halo

I usually play Gears more. Is your GT DarkLiege? or am I thinking of someone else? If you want to play tonight I will, though I kind of suck at the game, to forewarn you.

 

[unknown]

What was your story about?

The town I live, where my family is from, why my family is fucked up blahdeblahblah

I'm not too great with nonfiction...I'm much better at making shit up. but the two people I've had read it so far really liked it. we'll see what the class says tomorrow

 

[Death Aflame]

Time for a rant:

I got back an assignment I did for my Journalism class where we had to catalogue and compare the coverage of different news media (TV and print) on a particular day. Anyways I got a 15/20 (A 'B' here in Ontario) and I am really not too happy about it.

The reason I am bitching is because the prof complained that my 5 page paper (the maximum allowable size for this assignment btw) only covered one aspect of the differences between them; namely, that the print medium is more subjective than the televisual in its content and form. However, what she failed to realise is that I argued this admittedly controversial thesis with two main subpoints: that the content of original stories in the print medium relies heavily on an 'angle' for telling stories (the micro level) and that, on the macro level, the non-linear visual layout of the print medium foregrounds a hierarchy of the significance that is less existent in the TV medium. In short, I had two main subpoints (complete with specific examples) to back up my overarching thesis and the prof's complaint was that my thesis was not comprehensive (i.e. exhaustive) enough. I think she is basically complaining that my essay was too focused and well-guided by a specific argument, which of course, in terms of academic writing, is ridiculous.

My response is simply that how can a 5 page paper be anywheres near exhaustive in its analysis of news for a day in totality? Attempting to be exhaustive in a 5 page paper would be utterly ridiculous and, more than likely, would no longer read as an essay with a clear and precise argument, but simply a laundry list of blatant differences between the two media with no discernable argument therein. Basically, it seems like the prof was simply expecting a thesis that says: "TV news and print news are different, here are some examples of how they differ". The fact of the matter is, is that that is NOT a thesis (you know what guides one when writing an ESSAY/PAPER based in analysis of texts) as the fact that different media are different is self-evident; in other words, there is no point to that 'observation' which means it is not an argument to begin with.

Anyways, I have already complained to her about that grade, so hopefully I will be able to meet with her to discuss my concerns about my mark. I also re-read my essay upon receiving the grade back and, based on my experience of writing papers for myriad other classes, there is simply no way that that paper constitutes anything less than an 80 (A-). Not to toot my own horn, but it is a well-written essay that is abundantly clear and specific in the thesis being argued. [/rant]

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

So, I had a mid-term today. I don't know why we're doing mid-terms after Spring break, but I don't really care.

It was in Technical Theater Production, and I was afraid I'd do poorly, but I actually did really well. I had a much easier time with it than my classmates, it seems. There were four parts to it. First, we each had to go (one at a time) up into the lighting booth and program a specific light cue. Then, he'd give us each a specific area of the stage (including the wings) that we had to map out in 1/2 inch scale (I had a 10x12 section in the corner, so I had to include a lot of electrical shit back stage), then do a diagram (in 1/4 inch scale) of one of the box booms, which is a vertical bar on the wall with lights mounted on it, and we had to identify the types of lights. That was a real bitch since the thing is 8 feet off the ground, and the diagram had to be to scale. Lastly, we each had to be able to hang and circuit a light, as well as answer questions it.

Apparently I did particularly well with the light board, since now I've been assigned to work the booth for the play at the end of the semester. I pretty much like any job where I get to work in a room that I can call "my office".

 

[Zephyrus]

Looks like I'm beginning my career as a classicist a bit early. I've been referred by my professor to a local author who wants a list of witty/comical phrases translated into Latin. The author was searching for "someone with both a strange sense of humor and an extensive knowledge of the Latin language." I can't wait to get cracking on this assignment.

 

[Einherjar86]

^That's pretty cool. I took Latin all through middle and high school, so I got off the hook for language in college (I took an AP Vergil class my senior year of high school. The Aeneid kicks ass).

I'm in a history class right now about the Soviet Union from slightly before Bolshevik takeover to the present. It's an incredible class, but Russian names are hard! I still get some of them confused. Still, great professor and great class. I'm a literature major, history minor; all I have to do is pass this class and my minor will be complete.

Zeph, I know you said you prefer the Classics in another thread. Do you like any English literature other than Milton... Blake, maybe? Personally, I found that when I read Blake for the first time it made Paradise Lost all the more rewarding.

 

[Zephyrus]

To be honest, I haven't read enough English lit. to appreciate it. I had bad experiences in high school reading Dickens and Shakespeare.