So people are already turning in pre-registration slips for next fall, even though registration doesn’t technically begin until the middle of March, because of the trouble we had getting into classes this semester, because of the now-much-firmer 12-person-per-class cap. But I have no idea what to take. The list of course offerings are available, but not the specific focus of each course (i.e., I’m in Modern American Literature right now, with a focus of the Harlem Renaissance), because the professors haven’t all decided yet what the focus is going to be, because usually they wouldn’t have to narrow that down by JANUARY. It’s sort of a mess all around, but even just looking at the course offerings, I’m not terribly excited:
Old English Language – I heard horror stories about this class last semester, plus they’re averse to M.A. students taking it, as it’s geared for Ph.D.s
Bibliography and Research Methods – Already had it. Almost had a panic attack just seeing its name on the list.
Rhetoric and Composition – I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I’ve always hated classes that were about doing things rather than about content. On the other hand, if I want to improve my writing, which is one of the things I came back to school to do, this would be good. On the other, other hand, I’m completely unenamored of the academic writing style, and since that’s probably what they’re teaching to English grad students… (On the other, other, other hand, I need to get over my hatred of “doing things” classes if I’m going to do Library and Information Studies or anything techie-related, because they’re going to be about “doing things” rather than content…)
Seventeenth-Century British Literature – This one has a focus on Milton already announced. Now, the Donne/Herbert/etc class was 17th-century Brit lit, and we know how much I loved that class. /sarcasm. And I have a strong distaste for Milton from an undergrad survey course in which we read parts of Paradise Lost and I thought it was incredibly pretentious and overblown. I know, I know, Milton’s one of those people I should know, though. But, ugh.
Victorian Poetry – Poetry. Ugh. But somehow I’ve got to get good enough at this poetry stuff that I don’t hate it so much. Or something. And Victorian poetry is more palatable than some other forms. I mean, Browning and Barrett Browning and Tennyson, and stuff, right? I like them all right. Of course, I probably wouldn’t after having to analyze their stuff for a semester.
Nineteenth-Century American Literature – Focus of Transcendentalism. That’s like, Emerson, right? Meh.
Contemporary American Literature – Okay, this one I’m almost certainly going to try to take. Contemporary American lit doesn’t bother me as much as earlier American lit. Plus, I’ve heard good things about the professor.
And…that’s it. No 20th century British lit, nothing medieval, nothing on novels. I would love a class on the Gothic Novel or on 19th century novels, or on postmodern literature, or on pulp fiction, or even on theory. I’d love to take something on narratology, for instance. But no. I’m disappointed by the lack of variety. Variety is the very spice of life (a phrase which comes from William Cowper, incidentally…I never knew that). The undergrads get more variety than we do (they had a class last semester on Detective Stories, which would’ve been so much fun–Doyle, Poe, Christie, Chandler, Hammett–I’m assuming). What’s up with that?
Perhaps it comes back to grad school being about preparation for teaching–if I were going to teach, then yes, Milton would be important to know. But having pretty much decided against teaching, I’m now in this only for the content, and only for the content that interests me enough to want to study it intensely for a semester. Which is not poetry and not American lit prior to the 20th century. Which cuts out a lot that’s offered here. And I’m frustrated. And that’s all I really wanted to say.
mark
Here’s someone telling you stuff you don’t want to read:
The whole point of school (besides the official documentation of some things you’ve learned–the other whole point:) is to have someone make you do things you didn’t do before you were paying tuition. The law was a tutor to lead us the Christ and the school wants to lead you to poetry and nineteenth-century American Lit…..
On the bright side, I’m sure there are connections to much of the stuff you are more interested in. You will probably be broadened in those things. And, you will keep teaching yourself about that stuff after you graduate.
Thus endeth the pep talk.
Now that you’ve flamed Milton, why not move on to John Bunyan? People just love flaming Bunyan.
mark
Here’s someone telling you stuff you don’t want to read:
The whole point of school (besides the official documentation of some things you’ve learned–the other whole point:) is to have someone make you do things you didn’t do before you were paying tuition. The law was a tutor to lead us the Christ and the school wants to lead you to poetry and nineteenth-century American Lit…..
On the bright side, I’m sure there are connections to much of the stuff you are more interested in. You will probably be broadened in those things. And, you will keep teaching yourself about that stuff after you graduate.
Thus endeth the pep talk.
Now that you’ve flamed Milton, why not move on to John Bunyan? People just love flaming Bunyan.
Jandy
Mark, well, yeah. I agree with everything you’ve said. And if these classes were 3 hours out of 120, like required classes that I wasn’t terribly excited about as an undergrad, I wouldn’t have a problem at all. But they’re 3 hours out of thirty. Each class is 10% of the whole program, and with every semester that ticks by without any offerings I’m really interested in, I wonder why I’m getting this degree at all, especially now that I’ve decided I don’t want the job it’s preparing me for. I had classes as an undergrad that I didn’t like, but they were sandwiched in among a greater number that I did. Now I’m looking at another year of classes with the looming possibility of having liked two or three out of twelve, and having graduated with a degree I won’t use not having learned anything I wanted to know. I’m sorry, I’m in a really negative mood today…feel like I picked the wrong school, the wrong program, the wrong everything.
Hee. I saw that John Bunyan post. I’ve never made it all the way through Pilgrim’s Progress either, but I loved Little Pilgrim’s Progress when I was a kid.
Jandy
Mark, well, yeah. I agree with everything you’ve said. And if these classes were 3 hours out of 120, like required classes that I wasn’t terribly excited about as an undergrad, I wouldn’t have a problem at all. But they’re 3 hours out of thirty. Each class is 10% of the whole program, and with every semester that ticks by without any offerings I’m really interested in, I wonder why I’m getting this degree at all, especially now that I’ve decided I don’t want the job it’s preparing me for. I had classes as an undergrad that I didn’t like, but they were sandwiched in among a greater number that I did. Now I’m looking at another year of classes with the looming possibility of having liked two or three out of twelve, and having graduated with a degree I won’t use not having learned anything I wanted to know. I’m sorry, I’m in a really negative mood today…feel like I picked the wrong school, the wrong program, the wrong everything.
Hee. I saw that John Bunyan post. I’ve never made it all the way through Pilgrim’s Progress either, but I loved Little Pilgrim’s Progress when I was a kid.
Tineke
So that’s all the classes you get to pick from? How many do you have to pick?
Tineke
So that’s all the classes you get to pick from? How many do you have to pick?
Jandy
Tineke, yep, that’s it. I have to pick two. I think I’m probably going to do the Contemporary American and the Victorian Poetry. And on the good side, I’m finding out that a lot of professors don’t mind you sitting in on their classes, so I may find some undergrad classes that have interesting content, to keep myself from going nuts. I’m feeling a bit better about the whole thing now (hanging out with other grad students tonight helped me remember that I’m here for the community as well, and that part’s great).
Thanks for showing up over here! I keep forgetting to crosspost to LJ.
Jandy
Tineke, yep, that’s it. I have to pick two. I think I’m probably going to do the Contemporary American and the Victorian Poetry. And on the good side, I’m finding out that a lot of professors don’t mind you sitting in on their classes, so I may find some undergrad classes that have interesting content, to keep myself from going nuts. I’m feeling a bit better about the whole thing now (hanging out with other grad students tonight helped me remember that I’m here for the community as well, and that part’s great).
Thanks for showing up over here! I keep forgetting to crosspost to LJ.
Tineke
Wow. Only two. Those ones sounded good. Although I’d pick Rhetoric and Composition and Victorian Poetry myself. :D
You should definitely do that. I used to sit in on lectures I didn’t take (mostly in first year). You get to listen to all the interesting stuff and don’t have to worry about assignments and final exams. It’s great.
I was just thinking you hadn’t posted in ages and wondered what you were up to. Then I remembered I book marked this blog. You should still crosspost more often.
Have you heard the about the Bronze Beta 10th anniversary coming up? Tiggi posted about it recently. If lots of people turn up it should be great.
Tineke
Wow. Only two. Those ones sounded good. Although I’d pick Rhetoric and Composition and Victorian Poetry myself. :D
You should definitely do that. I used to sit in on lectures I didn’t take (mostly in first year). You get to listen to all the interesting stuff and don’t have to worry about assignments and final exams. It’s great.
I was just thinking you hadn’t posted in ages and wondered what you were up to. Then I remembered I book marked this blog. You should still crosspost more often.
Have you heard the about the Bronze Beta 10th anniversary coming up? Tiggi posted about it recently. If lots of people turn up it should be great.
Jandy
Yeah, I was surprised, too, when I found out most grad students only take two classes a semester, but then, grad classes take more work plus most people have assistantships that take up 15-20+ extra hours a week.
Exactly! I want the content more than the credit a lot of times, so I’m definitely going to look into sitting in on some stuff. Apparently there’s one class this year that has like 50 people in there (the cap on people actually taking the class is 12…).
No, when is the Betaversary? I haven’t even been checking my flist on LJ. I’d like to turn up, if everyone else is.
Jandy
Yeah, I was surprised, too, when I found out most grad students only take two classes a semester, but then, grad classes take more work plus most people have assistantships that take up 15-20+ extra hours a week.
Exactly! I want the content more than the credit a lot of times, so I’m definitely going to look into sitting in on some stuff. Apparently there’s one class this year that has like 50 people in there (the cap on people actually taking the class is 12…).
No, when is the Betaversary? I haven’t even been checking my flist on LJ. I’d like to turn up, if everyone else is.
Tineke
This is the post:
Spread the word to lost Bronzers to meet at The Bronze Beta – Saturday March 10, 2007
Why? Because it’s the official 10th anniversary of the original airdate for the show that brought us together. Should we research what they have done and where they are now on various cast and crew? Should each Bronzer do a mini-bio update? Will kenickie hawk his graphic novels? Will Closet Buffyholic still be on the ledge studying for a bar exam? Will there be *sparkly tackle hugs*? Will fenric post his list at 4AM Pacific time(7AM EST, 12PM GMT)? Is there any room left on Flossie to celebrate this event? Will the Aquamarine Armband Posse make an appearance with their armbands and horsies up high? Will Cosmic Bob still have titles? Will Narrator still be oh so very WRONG(!)? Come find out and please, spread the word to lost Bronzers.
I’m going to write it in my diary so I don’t forget.
Tineke
This is the post:
Spread the word to lost Bronzers to meet at The Bronze Beta – Saturday March 10, 2007
Why? Because it’s the official 10th anniversary of the original airdate for the show that brought us together. Should we research what they have done and where they are now on various cast and crew? Should each Bronzer do a mini-bio update? Will kenickie hawk his graphic novels? Will Closet Buffyholic still be on the ledge studying for a bar exam? Will there be *sparkly tackle hugs*? Will fenric post his list at 4AM Pacific time(7AM EST, 12PM GMT)? Is there any room left on Flossie to celebrate this event? Will the Aquamarine Armband Posse make an appearance with their armbands and horsies up high? Will Cosmic Bob still have titles? Will Narrator still be oh so very WRONG(!)? Come find out and please, spread the word to lost Bronzers.
I’m going to write it in my diary so I don’t forget.
Jandy
Ooh, the 10th I’m going to a concert in Austin (an hour and a half away). I’ll try to stop by in the morning, but won’t be able to stay too long. Bummer.
Jandy
Ooh, the 10th I’m going to a concert in Austin (an hour and a half away). I’ll try to stop by in the morning, but won’t be able to stay too long. Bummer.
Tineke
Well I’ll at least be there on the 9th cause that’s the 10th for me. :P
Actually I popped by randomly last night and found a few people wishing me a happy birthday. Weird. No idea why The Birthday Gnome thought it was my birthday. Although this may explain why it never wished me happy birthday on my actual birthday.
Tineke
Well I’ll at least be there on the 9th cause that’s the 10th for me. :P
Actually I popped by randomly last night and found a few people wishing me a happy birthday. Weird. No idea why The Birthday Gnome thought it was my birthday. Although this may explain why it never wished me happy birthday on my actual birthday.