class act

today was the deadline for online preregistration for students on leave (that’s me!).  without really thinking about it, i registered for twenty credits.  that doesn’t actually have even semi-set-in-stone implications on my academic schedule in the fall since it’s only pre-registration and there is always lots of class shopping left do once all the fiesty, indecisive ladies return to the halls of mhc, but i think the five course road is a good one to travel.  i need two extra credits anyway, to make up for my semester off, and i’d rather get them out of the way now and bypass any future classyear/promotion confusion later on.  i’m a little hesitant to overdo it my first semester back, but i don’t want to be worried about a couple of forsaken credits as a senior.
 
so my courses are:

english 265 literature for children
(writing-intensive course) this is a survey course. we will explore contemporary american children’s literature from three perspectives: how children’s books stack up as literature, how they speak to issues in children’s development, and how they reflect and shape social issues and values.
 
english 311 chaucer’s stories and storytellers
this course provides a close reading of the greater part of the canterbury tales, with collateral study of their intellectual, social, and historical context. the goal of the course is to understand the complex interplay among poetic form, social criticism, humor, sexuality, and spirituality that characterizes the stories.
 
latin american studies 180 introduction to latin american cultures
examines the confrontation, assimilation, and transformation of amerindian, african, and european cultures in latin america from the sixteenth century to the present. focuses on the processes in which distinctive self-images emerged in the region and how these images have been challenged and changed over time. uses films, literature, and folk traditions to complement scholarly analyses of the emergence of a new world mentality.
 
religion 230 spirituals and the blues
(speaking and writing-intensive course) this course examines and analyzes african american music as a primary textual source for understanding philosophical and religious language within that community. it addresses various questions: what are the central philosophical and religious themes expressed within the text? how are these themes reflected in the music? what is the intrinsic character of the spirituals and the blues? is there such a thing as a “music of oppression?” in what way(s) does the black experience contribute to philosophical and religious understanding, as well as the use of language? what does this material suggest about the connections among art, literature, and experience?
 
philosophy 205 ethics
is morality relative to individual preferences? would you rather be free or happy? are friends necessary for a good life? would you rather be a satisfied pig or a dissatisfied student? these questions illustrate some of the issues that will be raised by the ancient and modern ethical philosophers we shall explore in this course, looking at sources as varied as novels, canonical philosophic texts, and even children’s stories.
 
the lit courses obviously fulfill requirements for my major.  the latam course satisies the multicultural requirement.  i chose the others somewhat randomly based on the professors, topics, and of course the meeting times.  spirituals and the blues is ideal for this semester b/c it meets for two hours only once a week so it won’t conflict with anything else even with the five class hours to navigate.  and i can take it, or the ethics course pass/fail and not have to worry about it too much, but still get the extra credits.  if i change anything, i’d switch into an education class or a physical science to meet the (blah) distribution requirement.
 
i like picking courses b/c it’s like the beginning of the semester when all my notebooks are clean, my pencils are sharp, everything is organized and the air smells like the first day of school.  i’m always so motivated during the first few weeks of fall classes.  i wish i could go back to campus for that part and have another vacation, b/c i think i’m going to need it!
 
quote of the day: “it was one of those perfect english autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.” p.d. james