10 Years After: 01.12.2003

Tomorrow Plus X

I can't help.I find it very frustrating that I am required to take a technology intensive course within the English department and they only offer one- Computers, Writing and Literature.

It's not that I don't want to take the class. I love computers. It is the fact that the checklist for English majors implies that there is more than one choice. Instead of being straightforward and telling English majors that they need to take this class, English majors are instructed to take two technology intensive courses with one of them being within their major. That means they have to take the only technology class the English department offers.

Not only that, but the class looks ridiculously easy. And, while my Bitish Lit II class had no emphasis on technology, my current History of English class is using quite a lot. There's an online discussion board and electronic reserve texts at the library. Actually, both of the instructors for these classes utilized emails, so maybe that is unfair to say about British Lit II. There was some technology,just very little.

So, why can't my History of English count towards my technology intensive class? It's probably more technology intensive than the Computers, Writing and Literature class.

posted by Hiro # 1/18/2003 03:13:00 AM | 0 comments

1.17.2003

Snowblind

School was cancelled today due to snow. That means I have some free time! Unfortunately it also means that I won't be able to drie to see my girlfriend this weekend. What's the opposite of 'every cloud has a silver linning'?

Here is an overview of my TR classes:

History of English An amazing class. I know a lot of trivia on this topic so it is nice to get a more substantial learning in this field. The class is rather high-tech for ETSU. There is a message board that we have to post a question or statement to weekly (converning the material covered). There are text in the library on electronic reserve* for us. I've skimmed a few. From what I've seen these are basically scans of text into a pdf format that are placed online. Due to copyright considerations they aren't permament nor are they complete text books. There is a etymology project fr this class which consists of a 5 page paper on the eytmology of a word from a list the instructor provided. I'm still debating which word to select. I want something with a rich etymological history.

(* due to the dynamic nature of the library Web pages, I cannot link to the list of electronic reserve texts as a collective from the library's page. I'd have to do so with each individual text, and, well, there are just too many. If you are interested go to the library's Web site, click on Search Catalogs and then select Course Reserve List.
Enter the following -
Instructor : Dr Gross
Department : English
Course : ENGL 3200- History of English
Section : Any
Then select Search.)

Probability & Statistics When I was in college before I always thought people called this class"problem stats." It's funny to realize that it was actually said "prob and stats." That's similar to when I was a kid and my father would drink "rum and coke", which I took to be "Roman coke." Anyways, this class doesn't seem too difficult. I've actually taken a a class taught by this professor before, way back when I was first in college. He certainly has changed, and why not? I have changed a lot since then. I'll just say that his, as I feel mine, has been an improvement and I think I will enjoy this class. When we covered stem plots yesterday I recognized the algorithm for sorting the values. I was taught that same way, sans the gaps, by a computer science instructor. I always love finding ways to make things applicable. Oh, and this calss seems rather high-tech as well. The class is split between a lecture room and a math lab. The lab is filled with black PCs and they all have small flat screen monitors. (Which I am always worried about knocking off the long tables we use as desks.)

Philosophy as Conversation I am not sure how to explain this class. It's an oral intensive class but it also has some writing involved. We have to do a summary and commentary on two sections out of the book for grades. This means a 2 1/2 - 3 page paper and presenting this paper to the class. (Another student and I volunteered to do the prologue of the book, so we both have only one more to do.) There is also a final oral project- either an hour in the intructor's office discussing philosophical topics or an 'idea on trial' sort of debate. I should say the class does have a theme, it's THE MEANING OF LIFE. We also have a midterm and a final. It's a very interesting class, but I can see why so many people drop- the oral presentations, the debating that goes on, etc. Plus, the instructor is a real smart ass. I think this is like Burgess who taught my Ancient Civ class last semester- though it could just be the way he is. I like him, but so far he hasn't turned his sharp-tongue against me.

posted by Hiro # 1/17/2003 09:09:00 AM | 0 comments

1.15.2003

School House Rock

It's been a week now since classes have started and I have yet to find the time during all this chaos to post a single thing. Partially that's because I am taking 18 hours with three classes each day back to back. That means no convienant pocket of time between classes to slip off to the library to post. Also, since I have such long days in class I leave after my last class to go to work. That said, I think I am managing to allocate some time to postings.

First, a quick overview of my MWF classes:

U.S. HISTORY Since 1877 This class is an overflow room for the class. It is being taught by a previous head of the department that is now working on writting a book and not wanting to be bothered (by students and office politics). The class is a televised course. There are a few good things about that. First, I don't normally ask questions in such classes. These general education lecture classes are often too large to accomodate an inquisitive student. If I have a question I'll rack down the professor and ask personally. Secondly, the classes are videotaped and copies of each lecture are available in the media-center of the library. This should make studying for the class somewhat easier. I am considering checking out each lecture and make a dub of it so I can re-watch the lecture to get all the bits out of them. (Realisticly, this probably won't happen.)

SPANISH This is the second semester of Beginning Spanish. While I signed up for the same instructor I had last semester she was let go by the University for unkown reasons. The new instructor is also a past high school teacher. This is her first college level class and she only teaches the section I am taking. That'll mean she'll be spending little time on campus, which means getting to her will be a bitch. Otherwise, she seems nice enough. Neither too strict nor too lenient. Definately her style is different than the previous instructor's and, also, the books. I actually think I like her way of explaining this better. She goes a bit more into the details of why things are the way they are. The downside is that she is much more into oral participation. I really don't understand why this class isn't listed as oral intensive. It should qualify based on the workings of other oral intensive classes.

POETRY This is an odd class. Instead of the reading being split up into eras the poems are split up into how they illustrate aspects of poetry. Not so unusual. The class is oral intensive and that means a lot of class participation. No problem. We also have to oral projects to do. The first is to read and explicate a single poem. The second is to read and explicate 3 poems by a single modern American poet. The first needs to be a five minute presentation and the second presentation must be 15 minutes. Not terribly difficult. I've already been called on to red a poem outloud to the class which we were discussing (Longfellow's "Aftermath"). The instructor is interesting. When I have more time I'll post some of my observations.

posted by Hiro # 1/15/2003 09:11:00 AM | 0 comments

10 Years After

1.18.2003

Tomorrow Plus X

1.17.2003

Snowblind

1.15.2003

School House Rock

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