Crimety it's hot down here! And here I was all happy to get the upper-classmen dorms, none of which have AC or good ventilation. Blargh.
In any case, finally got the time and inclination to write something! So here you go, my thoughts on classes this semester.
First off in the morning (at 8:00 and 8:35) is Spanish. This class is going to be tough. The professor, though a really interesting woman, speaks very quickly and with very few pauses, leaving most of us scrambling just to get the gist of our assignments. It's the first class I got homework in, and none of it has been very easy. We'll have a few papers and presentations to do, but nothing too out of the ordinary. It makes me glad that this will be the last of my language requirement classes.
Next up is Bioethics, taught by my new adviser Prof. Ann Davis. She's really quite a character, very smart but always kind of addled and disorganized. I wasn't exactly sure what this class was going to be about, but a look at the books and the syllabus answered that pretty quickly. The focus is going to be on problems in the medical biology field, particularly those associated with pharmaceuticals, testing, genetic manipulation (particularly of unborn children), and profit vs. public health. The Prof. has taught some medical seminar-type courses before, and seems to be very well versed in these problems.It's pretty reading/writing intensive, but should be very interesting.
Next was Microeconomics, which I was worried about. I had heard some negative reviews of the instructor, Professor Likens, and the lack of a syllabus had me worried right off the bat. He has this kind of odd, raspy voice, and his handwriting is even worse than mine. However, about 10 minutes into the 50 minute class I was more than interested, I was hooked. We got into this great discussion/lecture about the reasons behind the difference in salary size between men and women for the same job, and he outlined all of these different categories that our reasons fell under, like biological, social 'sickness', and even unconscious. He explained this one as being the uncontrollable parts of one's life affecting one's thoughts without them knowing, like one's upbringing and environment. He made one last interesting point on this: a conservative mind will learn more than a liberal mind in a liberal arts school because their views and upbringing will be challenged and modified rather than reinforced. I'm looking forward to seeing where this class will go.
Next, after lunch and a 20 minute walk/search on the Pitzer campus was Philosophy of Science: Historical Survey. This class was a little harder to gauge than the others. It looks like we are going to examine science at its roots, like what exactly makes a scientist a scientist and how this has changed over time. Like, what makes the moonshine brewer different from the University chemist, and why? We'll look into the basis of the Scientific Method and read several different views on the 'correct' way to go about research, study, writing, and scientific process in general. Professor Keely definitely knows what he is talking about, and the class is pretty full. The unfortunate thing is that it's right in that block of time (right after lunch) where it's very tough for me to stay awake; depending on the amount of lecturing vs. discussing, I may have to start drinking tea at lunch or something. We'll see.
Last is Wellness and Fitness, a PE class. The instructor is a very nice, outgoing woman who used to be a professional tennis player and now coaches on the Pomona staff. I thought this would just be about working out and eating right, but it looks like it'll be much more than that. We'll discuss all aspects of being physically, mentally, emotionally, and even socially. We'll cover all kinds different exercises and effects, and design and follow our own workout program that takes into account our particular needs. This sounded a wee bit daunting at first, but with the way the Prof acts and from what she told us, it will be very laid-back. We'll even have guest speakers come in to talk on specific subjects of health. Hopefully I'll be able to develop somegood habits in eating and exercising here.
Aaaand that's everything! . Now, I'm going to go jump in the shower before I combust from the heat or suffocate on the smoke. Cheers!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Persopolis and stuff.
I've been meaning to write for quite a while now, but you all know what February's like. Just this long stretch of time between the one-day holiday lump (most of which aren't celebrated here at Pomona) and the providence of Spring Break. Midterms come thundering in much too quickly, skies get cloudy, and the dining hall starts serving the same thing every week. Glorious February. It's all good though.
First off, everything's really starting to come together in Environmental Ethics. We've stopped going so deep into individual theories of preservation and are now moving into comparing them in their arguments and weaknesses, which I like much, MUCH better. When I see all of the different ideas laid out against each other, I can start to piece together the bigger arguments and notice possibilities in them. This interconnectivity and variance of ideas is what made last semester's philosophy so interesting, and I'm glad we're moving in that direction now. But this is my problem too. I have to find the middle ground between being sufficiently specialized to get a job and staying general enough to not hate said job. Still, I trust things will turn out alright. I'm not too worried.
Spanish is rolling along as it always does. It is nice to be able to understand more and figure out how to translate, and the Spanish language lunches at Oldenbourg's dining room are actually pretty interesting. It really makes you think about what you say when you can only say so much, and thinking of roundabout ways to say something is fun in a challenging way, like a puzzle. Or like Taboo.
We're just wrapping up Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates in History of Ethics. I have a big paper about Aristotle's virtuous ideals due soon, and I'll have to brush up a bit before then. His major idea lies in moderation, modified by the situation. For example, temperance is a virtue, but it lies in the middle of overindulgence and insensitivity (for lack of a better word. Prudishness, maybe?) To be balanced and virtuous, he says that one needs to know both how and when to enjoy oneself as well as one's limits both in respect to oneself and others. So, cutting yourself off from all pleasure completely can be just as dangerous as overindulging. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, then he throws a random wrench in at the end of the story by asserting that the capacity for theoretical contemplation is the greatest virtue of all. In other words, being able to think philosophically and converse with others is best.
Yeah, it's good to have, but really, better than having courage? Temperance? Kindness? Wisdom? I dunno about that...
In sociology we're getting into theories of self, like how how one's own perceptions and surroundings affects his or her 'self' both personally and to others. In other words: how we try to fit in (or not), where and with whom, and how this changes us. Generally, everyone has several 'selves' depending on the situation, like work self, home self, husband/wife self, friend self, stranger self, etc., which we develop throughout our lives and draw upon whenever the situation calls for it. This really calls into question what one's 'real' self is, the one that we differentiate all the others from. Self-perceptions are often those that are furthest from the truth, and acting the same around every single person we meet or know is impossible. Oh, wait, not quite. Jesus seemed to do it pretty well, as far as I can see.
But yeah, now about the title of this blog. I just saw Persepolis for the first time at the college theater, and I really enjoyed it. I was going to go alone but some friends told me they were going to see it too, so we all went together and had a great time. I though about writing a quick plot for whoever hasn't seen it, but there was no way to really summarize it. The life of a native-born Iranian woman during Iran's turbulent 80's and 90's? That doesn't say much, but it's the closest I'm going to get without giving away too many details. It's animated, but not cartoonish by a long shot, and mostly in black and white. The version I saw was in French with subtitles, but the subtitle work was excellent. I don't know if there are any dubbed versions. In any case, go see it. It's excellent.
Speaking of animated, I've been drawing a lot lately too. Mostly it's just cartoon characters from pictures and stills, or abstract stuff. I'd be proud to say I've never traced if it wasn't so painfully obvious looking at some of them. But hey, I'm just beginning. It's a good way to relax a bit between classes, and it's satisfying to look at the good drawings I've done, few as they are. Heh! Maybe it's just from not having anything to write about, but it's still fun. Here's one of my best.
Just for reference his name is Invader Zim, from the show of the same name.
Here's the model first, and then my drawing.
© Jhonen Vasquez
He's thinking, "Why is my head so big?!"
Whoa! A post written some time before 12:00 AM! That's almost a minority these days. =)
Talk to you all later.
First off, everything's really starting to come together in Environmental Ethics. We've stopped going so deep into individual theories of preservation and are now moving into comparing them in their arguments and weaknesses, which I like much, MUCH better. When I see all of the different ideas laid out against each other, I can start to piece together the bigger arguments and notice possibilities in them. This interconnectivity and variance of ideas is what made last semester's philosophy so interesting, and I'm glad we're moving in that direction now. But this is my problem too. I have to find the middle ground between being sufficiently specialized to get a job and staying general enough to not hate said job. Still, I trust things will turn out alright. I'm not too worried.
Spanish is rolling along as it always does. It is nice to be able to understand more and figure out how to translate, and the Spanish language lunches at Oldenbourg's dining room are actually pretty interesting. It really makes you think about what you say when you can only say so much, and thinking of roundabout ways to say something is fun in a challenging way, like a puzzle. Or like Taboo.
We're just wrapping up Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates in History of Ethics. I have a big paper about Aristotle's virtuous ideals due soon, and I'll have to brush up a bit before then. His major idea lies in moderation, modified by the situation. For example, temperance is a virtue, but it lies in the middle of overindulgence and insensitivity (for lack of a better word. Prudishness, maybe?) To be balanced and virtuous, he says that one needs to know both how and when to enjoy oneself as well as one's limits both in respect to oneself and others. So, cutting yourself off from all pleasure completely can be just as dangerous as overindulging. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, then he throws a random wrench in at the end of the story by asserting that the capacity for theoretical contemplation is the greatest virtue of all. In other words, being able to think philosophically and converse with others is best.
Yeah, it's good to have, but really, better than having courage? Temperance? Kindness? Wisdom? I dunno about that...
In sociology we're getting into theories of self, like how how one's own perceptions and surroundings affects his or her 'self' both personally and to others. In other words: how we try to fit in (or not), where and with whom, and how this changes us. Generally, everyone has several 'selves' depending on the situation, like work self, home self, husband/wife self, friend self, stranger self, etc., which we develop throughout our lives and draw upon whenever the situation calls for it. This really calls into question what one's 'real' self is, the one that we differentiate all the others from. Self-perceptions are often those that are furthest from the truth, and acting the same around every single person we meet or know is impossible. Oh, wait, not quite. Jesus seemed to do it pretty well, as far as I can see.
But yeah, now about the title of this blog. I just saw Persepolis for the first time at the college theater, and I really enjoyed it. I was going to go alone but some friends told me they were going to see it too, so we all went together and had a great time. I though about writing a quick plot for whoever hasn't seen it, but there was no way to really summarize it. The life of a native-born Iranian woman during Iran's turbulent 80's and 90's? That doesn't say much, but it's the closest I'm going to get without giving away too many details. It's animated, but not cartoonish by a long shot, and mostly in black and white. The version I saw was in French with subtitles, but the subtitle work was excellent. I don't know if there are any dubbed versions. In any case, go see it. It's excellent.
Speaking of animated, I've been drawing a lot lately too. Mostly it's just cartoon characters from pictures and stills, or abstract stuff. I'd be proud to say I've never traced if it wasn't so painfully obvious looking at some of them. But hey, I'm just beginning. It's a good way to relax a bit between classes, and it's satisfying to look at the good drawings I've done, few as they are. Heh! Maybe it's just from not having anything to write about, but it's still fun. Here's one of my best.
Just for reference his name is Invader Zim, from the show of the same name.
Here's the model first, and then my drawing.
© Jhonen Vasquez
He's thinking, "Why is my head so big?!"
Whoa! A post written some time before 12:00 AM! That's almost a minority these days. =)
Talk to you all later.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Study abroad stuff
Hey!
So I went to the study abroad office this week to take a look at what was available for next year. The workers there are very helpful, and the variety of places to go is pretty incredible. Besides all of the wonderful, amazing places I can go to take regular classes (Greece, all over Great Britain, Australia, etc.) there are two major possibilities that focus on Environmental Studies.
The first is in South Africa, which I really do not have any real desire to spend a semester in; the second is New Zealand, which despite its alarming lack of orcs or hobbits, sounds like an awesome place to go. Looking at the programs that these places offer, it really depends on what I want to focus in more. For example, since much of South Africa is impoverished, I could get a real view of the effects of a changing environment on a poor nation. The program there is headed and actually led there by one of my favorite Profs, Prof. Hazlett, and would be really interesting and enlightening. Still, I just don't want to go to South Africa very much. =(
New Zealand would be much more comfortable, and apparently the group there is fairly small (like 21 students) and led by a young, well-liked Alumnus of CMC. I could round out the environmental classes with philosophy or ethics courses at the college in Auckland. The big thing about this program is that it begins earlier than others with a five-week field component around Fiji and on the North Island, where we'd get to study the local volcanology, marine ecology, and Native Maori perspectives on the environment. It's an awesome opportunity, but it would mean leaving in mid/early January. Speaking of which, both of these programs are in the Spring semester, and run from January to mid/late June. This is nice since it means I don't have to scramble to meet deadlines for next fall semester (fast approaching), unless I want to do another program not focused on enviro sciences.
So for now, it's looking like Spud's going to New Zealand! I can start fights with those damn arrogant Australians, say 'wot?' a lot, and...i dunno... run up and down the hills waving a broadsword or something. Sweet!
Oh yeah, and I while in thestudy abroad office I said hi from you, Mare (or Lynn, rather). They all send you their regards, and they were impressed and excited to hear about your job in Korea. Rita and Rhoda where especially happy to hear how you are doing.
Good night! Or good morning, depending what side of the planet you're on! =)
So I went to the study abroad office this week to take a look at what was available for next year. The workers there are very helpful, and the variety of places to go is pretty incredible. Besides all of the wonderful, amazing places I can go to take regular classes (Greece, all over Great Britain, Australia, etc.) there are two major possibilities that focus on Environmental Studies.
The first is in South Africa, which I really do not have any real desire to spend a semester in; the second is New Zealand, which despite its alarming lack of orcs or hobbits, sounds like an awesome place to go. Looking at the programs that these places offer, it really depends on what I want to focus in more. For example, since much of South Africa is impoverished, I could get a real view of the effects of a changing environment on a poor nation. The program there is headed and actually led there by one of my favorite Profs, Prof. Hazlett, and would be really interesting and enlightening. Still, I just don't want to go to South Africa very much. =(
New Zealand would be much more comfortable, and apparently the group there is fairly small (like 21 students) and led by a young, well-liked Alumnus of CMC. I could round out the environmental classes with philosophy or ethics courses at the college in Auckland. The big thing about this program is that it begins earlier than others with a five-week field component around Fiji and on the North Island, where we'd get to study the local volcanology, marine ecology, and Native Maori perspectives on the environment. It's an awesome opportunity, but it would mean leaving in mid/early January. Speaking of which, both of these programs are in the Spring semester, and run from January to mid/late June. This is nice since it means I don't have to scramble to meet deadlines for next fall semester (fast approaching), unless I want to do another program not focused on enviro sciences.
So for now, it's looking like Spud's going to New Zealand! I can start fights with those damn arrogant Australians, say 'wot?' a lot, and...i dunno... run up and down the hills waving a broadsword or something. Sweet!
Oh yeah, and I while in thestudy abroad office I said hi from you, Mare (or Lynn, rather). They all send you their regards, and they were impressed and excited to hear about your job in Korea. Rita and Rhoda where especially happy to hear how you are doing.
Good night! Or good morning, depending what side of the planet you're on! =)
Friday, January 30, 2009
Because I'm too lazy to come up with a new blog entry!
I'll give you something I already put on facebook!
This was a meme, which someone creates and then sends to other people, who do it and then send it on and so forth. It's almost like a chain letter, but instead of warning you of all of the horrible things that will happen if you don't pass it on, it's just for fun. Some of the older ones have been traveling around on the internet for years! I first heard about this one from Brynne's mom, who got it from one of her friends where she works, etc., etc. Here's the original post I made, with a few errors fixed.
__________________________
Bla bla bla, on with the note already. Read me! >:(
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose up to 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag up to 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
1. I thought long and hard about what to name this note... and I think the result speaks for itself.
2. This note is not, I repeat NOT, an attempt to avoid homework. Crap, 10:00pm already?!
3. This year I'm taking Sociology (to be a sociopath), History of Ethics (to be a bore), Environmental Ethics (make that a self-righteous bore), and Spanish (¡y un aburridor!)
4. Right now I'm listening to the always-excellent Carlos Santana.
5. I only feel slightly guilty that my exercise regimen is based entirely on Wii Sports.
6. If #5 isn't proof, I play waaay to many video games. And I couldn't be happier! :D
7. I overuse internet emotes on a regular basis. >.>
8. Though I do watch dramas and action movies, cartoons will always have a special place in my heart. Near the inner left ventricle, actually.
10. My first job was at Scully's Packing Sheds on Scotts Valley Rd; my second was at the Lakeport Cinema 5.
11. Though I'm enjoying college right now, I am seriously worried about finding a job once I leave.
12. It makes me sad when people dread the future so much; it tends to create self-fulfilling prophecies.
13. I am an avid writer of haikus, both serious and goofy. For example:
So many buttons
one wrong move, it might explode...
new cellular phone.
14. When it comes to music, I like a wide variety of stuff and tend to go through phases. I grew up with U2, Santana, the Steve Miller Band, and Huey Lewis and the News, rolled on towards Queen, The Who, The Doors, and Cake, dabbled in Metallica, AC/DC and Godsmack, moped my way through Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and Coldplay (the older Coldplay stuff, anyway), gnashed through Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against, Nirvana, and System of a Down, and am now at a kind of musical crossroads. I still listen to everything above and love it all. I don't care much for rap or hip hop, and dislike country for the most part.
Above all, few musicians have had a greater impact in my life than Raffi. ("Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring--Bananaphone!" God, I loved that song as a kid!)
15. I am a natural expert at the sidewalk dance. You know, where people coming from 2+ directions both try to go left, then right, then left again, then just push past each other mumbling, "M'sorry."
16. I am a serious skeptic and somewhat cynical. I have a lot of trouble believing in anything and only recently have I convinced myself to give everyone the benefit of the doubt instead of thinking they did whatever on purpose.
17. I worry a lot about how I look, but refuse to spend the money on quality clothes.
18. I took an economics class last year, and was amazed at how much I learned and how much I enjoyed it.
19. Though I am a pacifist, I enjoy some over-the-top violent movies as long as they are ridiculous: i.e. Evil Dead = excellent, Saw I-XXV = pointless, uninteresting torture.
20. I am so, so very tired of endless political bickering, and few things make as angry or as frustrated as dogmatism. I'm not just talking about politics here either; this applies to religion (or lack thereof), racial beliefs, economics, social issues, and all kinds of other stuff. Morals and beliefs are good things, but close-mindedness is the bane of humanity. I'm not kidding here. If anything is going to destroy us, it will be caused by people who aren't willing to listen.
21. I often, without warning, provocation, or warrent, erupt in self-righteous rants about all kinds of moral issues. (See #20.)
22. If you say something serious to me and I smile, it is never, ever because I am laughing at you; I am inadvertently imagining myself in that situation and empathizing with you over it. I can't help myself.
23. I am a sucker for romances and romantic tragedies. As goofy as some of the plots were, I can't bloody think about the endings to some movies and books without getting all teary-eyed.
24. If there was a degree and a job in dabbling in everything, I would take it. I like a lot of different subjects, but tend to get bored quickly with a lot of the things I take up. It doesn't help that I'm also fairly lazy when it comes to both studying and in regards to the stuff that will almost certainly come back to haunt me.
25. I am rapidly running out of things to write about myself--oh good! #25! Let's see, some kind of great thing to end with....
How about a riddle?!
If you have it, you want to share it;
if you share it, you haven't got it.
What is it?
_________________________________
Talk to you all later!
This was a meme, which someone creates and then sends to other people, who do it and then send it on and so forth. It's almost like a chain letter, but instead of warning you of all of the horrible things that will happen if you don't pass it on, it's just for fun. Some of the older ones have been traveling around on the internet for years! I first heard about this one from Brynne's mom, who got it from one of her friends where she works, etc., etc. Here's the original post I made, with a few errors fixed.
__________________________
Bla bla bla, on with the note already. Read me! >:(
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose up to 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag up to 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
1. I thought long and hard about what to name this note... and I think the result speaks for itself.
2. This note is not, I repeat NOT, an attempt to avoid homework. Crap, 10:00pm already?!
3. This year I'm taking Sociology (to be a sociopath), History of Ethics (to be a bore), Environmental Ethics (make that a self-righteous bore), and Spanish (¡y un aburridor!)
4. Right now I'm listening to the always-excellent Carlos Santana.
5. I only feel slightly guilty that my exercise regimen is based entirely on Wii Sports.
6. If #5 isn't proof, I play waaay to many video games. And I couldn't be happier! :D
7. I overuse internet emotes on a regular basis. >.>
8. Though I do watch dramas and action movies, cartoons will always have a special place in my heart. Near the inner left ventricle, actually.
10. My first job was at Scully's Packing Sheds on Scotts Valley Rd; my second was at the Lakeport Cinema 5.
11. Though I'm enjoying college right now, I am seriously worried about finding a job once I leave.
12. It makes me sad when people dread the future so much; it tends to create self-fulfilling prophecies.
13. I am an avid writer of haikus, both serious and goofy. For example:
So many buttons
one wrong move, it might explode...
new cellular phone.
14. When it comes to music, I like a wide variety of stuff and tend to go through phases. I grew up with U2, Santana, the Steve Miller Band, and Huey Lewis and the News, rolled on towards Queen, The Who, The Doors, and Cake, dabbled in Metallica, AC/DC and Godsmack, moped my way through Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and Coldplay (the older Coldplay stuff, anyway), gnashed through Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against, Nirvana, and System of a Down, and am now at a kind of musical crossroads. I still listen to everything above and love it all. I don't care much for rap or hip hop, and dislike country for the most part.
Above all, few musicians have had a greater impact in my life than Raffi. ("Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring--Bananaphone!" God, I loved that song as a kid!)
15. I am a natural expert at the sidewalk dance. You know, where people coming from 2+ directions both try to go left, then right, then left again, then just push past each other mumbling, "M'sorry."
16. I am a serious skeptic and somewhat cynical. I have a lot of trouble believing in anything and only recently have I convinced myself to give everyone the benefit of the doubt instead of thinking they did whatever on purpose.
17. I worry a lot about how I look, but refuse to spend the money on quality clothes.
18. I took an economics class last year, and was amazed at how much I learned and how much I enjoyed it.
19. Though I am a pacifist, I enjoy some over-the-top violent movies as long as they are ridiculous: i.e. Evil Dead = excellent, Saw I-XXV = pointless, uninteresting torture.
20. I am so, so very tired of endless political bickering, and few things make as angry or as frustrated as dogmatism. I'm not just talking about politics here either; this applies to religion (or lack thereof), racial beliefs, economics, social issues, and all kinds of other stuff. Morals and beliefs are good things, but close-mindedness is the bane of humanity. I'm not kidding here. If anything is going to destroy us, it will be caused by people who aren't willing to listen.
21. I often, without warning, provocation, or warrent, erupt in self-righteous rants about all kinds of moral issues. (See #20.)
22. If you say something serious to me and I smile, it is never, ever because I am laughing at you; I am inadvertently imagining myself in that situation and empathizing with you over it. I can't help myself.
23. I am a sucker for romances and romantic tragedies. As goofy as some of the plots were, I can't bloody think about the endings to some movies and books without getting all teary-eyed.
24. If there was a degree and a job in dabbling in everything, I would take it. I like a lot of different subjects, but tend to get bored quickly with a lot of the things I take up. It doesn't help that I'm also fairly lazy when it comes to both studying and in regards to the stuff that will almost certainly come back to haunt me.
25. I am rapidly running out of things to write about myself--oh good! #25! Let's see, some kind of great thing to end with....
How about a riddle?!
If you have it, you want to share it;
if you share it, you haven't got it.
What is it?
_________________________________
Talk to you all later!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Mild Insomnia...
...is not always a bad thing! I'm happy about what's to come, both class wise and life wise, and having trouble sleeping tonight because of it. Might as well do something worthwhile!
So! First impressions on classes this semester:
Spanish sounds like it's going to be intense, but ok. I know enough from before to get by at the start, and the homework thus far has been weighty, but useful. It's mostly just exercises and things, but later we have to do what is called a 'composition' which will just be a short paper on some topic the Professor assigns. The professor herself is kind of funny. Her name is Wha Sook Kim (pronounced 'Fasook Kim' with a light f) and she looks distinctly oriental, yet has a very thick Spanish accent. She's pretty intense, but more than willing to repeat herself or rephrase a question for us if we don't understand her. The class was supposed to have like 18 students, but about 4 didn't show and 5 hadn't actually met the requirements for it (which the professor says hasn't happened before), so we're a class of under ten.
Environmental Ethics looks like it's going to be awesome. I know the professor from last year and I like him a lot, and the homework is the same as well: keep up with the weekly reading and write some questions on it when it's your group's turn. The reading topics are exactly what I was hoping for: historical roots of our current crisis, ideals of 'human excellence' and what this should mean, the rights of non-humans including animals and, in some cases, plants, and just general philosophical questions about Environmentalism as a whole. And that's just the first half of the year; after that, he's letting us look through the second section of the textbook and deciding which areas look most interesting to us. Part of it will include how these discussions and problems can be to influence policy-making too, which is exciting for me. I'd like to be able to focus all of this philosophical mumbo-jumbo into real, useful situations.
History of Ethics looks good too, mostly just because I don't know a whole lot about how ethics and what is considered morally acceptable or not has changed since ancient Greece. I was disappointed to hear that it will be strictly Western, but I think the workload would be enormous otherwise, so no biggie. The focus is going to be on ancient Greece, modernism, and a little bit of 'post-modernism' (only in quotes because of how it appeared in the syllabus) including a good body of work by an influential philosopher in this past century named Bernard Williams, whom the professor has a lot of respect for. The class is pretty big, about 25 students, and there seems to be a lot more Freshmen than in the others. I'm hoping I'll have a bit of an edge with my experience last semester, but who knows.
Sociology looks fascinating. After the Professor (who is a visiting graduate student from UCLA) starting talking about the focus of the class, I realized how closely it will tie in to what I've already taken. All last semester I heard about how effective economical policy is greatly affected by public opinion and the current state of the populace, and about how the ancestors of mankind banded together and developed from tiny groups to our modern cities based only on their own group dynamics. This class will go a long ways in helping me understand the motives behind past decisions, and will hopefully give me a much better perspective into what motivates groups and individuals in the choices they make. The class has a ton of reading assignments, but these look interesting too. The books tend to focus on different aspects of society, including the need for security with fear (among other things) as a motivator, the same issues trough the perspectives of many people of different races and backgrounds, and, interestingly, the experience of college life and its effects on students. I kind of wish I had taken this course before holding any leadership role in scouts; it sounds like it would have been useful.
Alright, I think I'm tired enough to sleep now. Time to hit the hay. I leave you with a haiku I scribbled while waiting for Sociology to start:
No moss, rolling stone;
too busy for life to grow,
it misses the point.
Good morning, and have a pleasant today!
So! First impressions on classes this semester:
Spanish sounds like it's going to be intense, but ok. I know enough from before to get by at the start, and the homework thus far has been weighty, but useful. It's mostly just exercises and things, but later we have to do what is called a 'composition' which will just be a short paper on some topic the Professor assigns. The professor herself is kind of funny. Her name is Wha Sook Kim (pronounced 'Fasook Kim' with a light f) and she looks distinctly oriental, yet has a very thick Spanish accent. She's pretty intense, but more than willing to repeat herself or rephrase a question for us if we don't understand her. The class was supposed to have like 18 students, but about 4 didn't show and 5 hadn't actually met the requirements for it (which the professor says hasn't happened before), so we're a class of under ten.
Environmental Ethics looks like it's going to be awesome. I know the professor from last year and I like him a lot, and the homework is the same as well: keep up with the weekly reading and write some questions on it when it's your group's turn. The reading topics are exactly what I was hoping for: historical roots of our current crisis, ideals of 'human excellence' and what this should mean, the rights of non-humans including animals and, in some cases, plants, and just general philosophical questions about Environmentalism as a whole. And that's just the first half of the year; after that, he's letting us look through the second section of the textbook and deciding which areas look most interesting to us. Part of it will include how these discussions and problems can be to influence policy-making too, which is exciting for me. I'd like to be able to focus all of this philosophical mumbo-jumbo into real, useful situations.
History of Ethics looks good too, mostly just because I don't know a whole lot about how ethics and what is considered morally acceptable or not has changed since ancient Greece. I was disappointed to hear that it will be strictly Western, but I think the workload would be enormous otherwise, so no biggie. The focus is going to be on ancient Greece, modernism, and a little bit of 'post-modernism' (only in quotes because of how it appeared in the syllabus) including a good body of work by an influential philosopher in this past century named Bernard Williams, whom the professor has a lot of respect for. The class is pretty big, about 25 students, and there seems to be a lot more Freshmen than in the others. I'm hoping I'll have a bit of an edge with my experience last semester, but who knows.
Sociology looks fascinating. After the Professor (who is a visiting graduate student from UCLA) starting talking about the focus of the class, I realized how closely it will tie in to what I've already taken. All last semester I heard about how effective economical policy is greatly affected by public opinion and the current state of the populace, and about how the ancestors of mankind banded together and developed from tiny groups to our modern cities based only on their own group dynamics. This class will go a long ways in helping me understand the motives behind past decisions, and will hopefully give me a much better perspective into what motivates groups and individuals in the choices they make. The class has a ton of reading assignments, but these look interesting too. The books tend to focus on different aspects of society, including the need for security with fear (among other things) as a motivator, the same issues trough the perspectives of many people of different races and backgrounds, and, interestingly, the experience of college life and its effects on students. I kind of wish I had taken this course before holding any leadership role in scouts; it sounds like it would have been useful.
Alright, I think I'm tired enough to sleep now. Time to hit the hay. I leave you with a haiku I scribbled while waiting for Sociology to start:
No moss, rolling stone;
too busy for life to grow,
it misses the point.
Good morning, and have a pleasant today!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Post-Christmas doldrums...
I'm not sad or anything, but after all of the hustle-n'-bustle of the Holiday Season, sitting at home for hours watching TV and hanging out with my cat just doesn't seem to fill in the hours like it did before. It makes me appreciate being busy with school work.
Hah! It reminds of a character I like in Catch 22. In an effort to make his life last as long as possible, the character Dunbar actively seeks out jobs and pastimes that he hates or finds boring. He reasons that, since time flies while you're having fun, time slows to an absolute crawl when you're not. When asked why he would want a life full of things he hates, he says, "Well, it's all we've got."
It doesn't help that I'm waiting for packages to arrive. I've counted the days since buying stuff on Ebay, and I swear it's been at least a week and a half since last Friday. I just gotta keep reminding myself to stop and smell the roses, and not get caught up to much in the future when there's so many great things going on around me. Think I'll go for a walk...
Happy New Year everyone! =D
Hah! It reminds of a character I like in Catch 22. In an effort to make his life last as long as possible, the character Dunbar actively seeks out jobs and pastimes that he hates or finds boring. He reasons that, since time flies while you're having fun, time slows to an absolute crawl when you're not. When asked why he would want a life full of things he hates, he says, "Well, it's all we've got."
It doesn't help that I'm waiting for packages to arrive. I've counted the days since buying stuff on Ebay, and I swear it's been at least a week and a half since last Friday. I just gotta keep reminding myself to stop and smell the roses, and not get caught up to much in the future when there's so many great things going on around me. Think I'll go for a walk...
Happy New Year everyone! =D
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