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29 August, 2007First day jitters
The first weeks of fall semester classes are always so insane! The traffic is worse than ever, and they decided to pave Hampton Blvd. this week, of all times, so half the lanes are shut down! Crazy!
I’m stoked about going in the evening because my parking pass is $50 cheaper and I get to park anywhere I want, including faculty lots. Still I was 10 minutes late to my first class because I thought the arts & letters building was the education building. Doh! I felt like a freshman again haha.
This semester is going to be hard hard hard and fun fun fun. My first class, Intro to Research & Criticism, is a class where we are going to learn to write research proposals as well as critical essays. There’s also a bit of theory involved and it sounds very heady but I’m sure I’ll wrap myself around it once I start doing the assigned readings. We only have three assignments for the class: a critical analysis essay, a research proposal and a final exam.
My other class is African American Literature. I am really looking forward to this class! My teacher is young, energetic and full of passion for the subject. I think she is really going to push us. Last night we talked about everything from Lil’ Kim to Mike Tyson to On The Road.
We have loads of assignments though, including a lot of response essays, and TONS of reading. I’m glad though, it’s going to push me to read stuff I wouldn’t normally have picked up otherwise. We also have to watch several movies for the class and some of the “reading” assignments are listening to songs, poetry readings, etc. on a CD that came with our textbook. We also have assignments like, “have read: Notorious B.I.G. Things Done Changed, Eric B. & Rakim I Ain’t No Joke and Nas NY State of Mind.” Ha!
In addition to all the reading we also have group projects, of which I am the leader since I’m a grad student, and another research proposal. Sheesh! I’m looking forward to school again though, and stretching my brain. It needs a little dusting off.
*image courtesy of wee wonderfuls*
Comments
i go in the evening and have not purchased a parking pass since my first semester. just fyi for the future... save yo money. :)
Why would they pave a main road when school starts? That work is supposed to get done during the summer. Stupid!
At the risk of sounding like my mother, I have to ask--what are you going to do with an English degree?
That AA lit class sounds cool. A lot of people don't realize the complexity of rap music. Many songs aren't just about booty shaking and shooting people. Even when songs are somewhat violent, like many of Biggie's, the lyrics can often be pretty profound. Speaking of Nas, what do you think about him performing at Virgina Tech? I don't understand the fuss--he is one of the more socially conscious rappers.
An English degree is always handy! Employers like to hire people who have writing skills and who are critical thinkers. Of course I'm biased because I have a BA in English:) My graduate degree is in speech therapy from ODU--it's a better school than most people give it credit for. Have a great semester! Your classes sound like they'll challenge you.
Yep, Maureen said it. Writing skills, critical thinking skills, being well-read and articulate are definitely skills that employers like. I think paired with my BFA in graphic design, it'll make a nice, well-rounded education.
Hey Amber!
I have my first oncampus class tonite (the other two are on-line). I am nervous and psyched. If everyone shows up, its going to be huge.
Wishing you luck. I would love to hear about the ongoings of your African American Lit class.
