Monday, February 21, 2011

Going to school is lots of fun (from laughing we have gained a ton)

This post has been brought to you today by the letter A, which stands for Andrea, who happens to be my sister, who is the person most likely to ask me, "When are you going to make a new blog post?" -- which, in turn, makes me feel loved and popular. So this post is for you, Andrea, even though you are probably likely to think school talk is boring.

I'm in my third year of uni; how laughable is that? And with week one of said third year under my belt, it's time for a little school update, especially since some of you have been interested to know what subjects I'm doing. The little stack of library books in the picture above offers some clues. So, this semester I'm taking:

Theory & Philosophy of History -- which so far consists of lots of philosophy surrounding the nature of history and time, and it feels all very Greek-wandering-round-philosophising at this stage. I think it will prove to be quite interesting and -- particularly where the essays are concerned -- a good challenge. 'History cannot exist outside of time, and yet time is not history'...

Christ, Culture, and the State -- I picked this one because I needed a kind of sociology subject and I was intrigued by the title. What I've encountered so far is lots of political theory and philosophy which I think might prove to tie in well with my history subject. (If you want to pretend to take this class, you can buy my lecturer's book here; I'm plugging it because he's a great teacher and you can totally read the book in an Irish accent because that's what it was written in ;D).

The Icelandic Sagas -- Vikings! Iceland! Myths and legends! Heroes! Very large beards! Okay, what is not to like about this subject? Part history, part literature, part excuse-to-read-about-crazy-men-from-windy-volcanic-islands.

Writing for Children -- I've saved (what I'm guessing will be) the best for last. Children's literature is something that gets me very, very excited, so I'm thrilled that I get to spend part of this semester delving more into this world and perhaps learning how to find a place in it myself. The lecturer is Rosanne Hawke and having read several of her YA books, I have a healthy amount of respect (reverence, even) for what she has to say about the craft. One of my assignments for this class is to write a picture book manuscript (insert many exclamation points here)! And this is work?

So there you have it. That's what I'm up to for the next few months. What about you? If you're studying this year, tell me about your subjects (I like learning about learning!). If you're not taking formal study, tell me how you're educating yourself. Life is full of learning; what are you reading, writing, or pondering?

* * * * *

Conversations:

Rebecca Simon -- B&B + Launceston = charming.

Carla and Alastair -- okay, a dose of amazing via ultrasound beats a dose of pretty any old day!

Katie -- if only we could pluck things right out of the internet and eat/use/enjoy them in real life... *sigh*

Brooke -- I will add you to my list of potential proofreaders to call upon :D.

Julia -- you are an AWESOME cheerleader. If you didn't already have an excellent job, I'd employ you full time. Only... the pay kind of stinks.

Samantha R -- and this tiramisu was rich. I just had a quarter of the little cake and that was plenty.

Asea -- ah, the snow sounds uh-may-zinggg!

10 comments:

  1. That does sound like a fantastic assortment of subjects. Writing for children sounds particularly good - I hope you enjoy it! Is this your final year of study?

    Things I intend to learn this year involve photography (I'd like to know a bit more about my camera). I'd also like to claw back some of the self-discipline that resulted in weight loss and increased fitness - I fear some of those good habits have slipped since last year. It should be a very productive year!

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  2. Who ate the rest of the tiramisu? Hmmm, your brother? ;) (My brothers love to volunteer for jobs like that!)

    Your classes sound like fun. My type of classes!
    Lots of reading, literature, history, politics, philosophy, etc..

    I'm still working on my photography course; it's slow going but I'm getting somewhere, I think ;)
    I'm also about to dive into building a website for someone. I'm nervous now esp because she is paying me half up front. Eek!

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  3. I am so jealous! Enjoy all that lovely reading.
    xxx

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  4. It was fun to hear about your 'school work' and the books you are reading! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time studying all those different subjects.

    I'm not doing any formal study (as yet…maybe in a month or two, once a certain little niece/nephew has arrived! :), but I'm really enjoying learning through different books - I'm currently reading one on theology, another on singleness, and have just started one called 'The True Woman' by Susan Hunt, which looks very encouraging.

    There is always so much to learn, through life, isn't there?! And I'm finding that I am learning so much, from the Lord, through books, life and people, which is challenging, interesting and at times exciting!

    Hope you're keeping well!
    With love, Abbie x

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  5. Pfft. Pay doesn't matter. I'm jealous that you get to take those courses!

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  6. I am learning my ABC's and what comes after one. I have been homeschooling for 18 years. Do you think I will ever graduate.

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  7. I am still learning Russian. Although lately more people have been randomly saying, "You have an accent. Who are you?" so I feel like I'm slipping backwards. :-/

    Come summer I shall be moving, and then I will sign up for three or four classes just for fun, and get to learn stuff. Probably jewelry-making, yoga, and swing dancing, but we'll see. :-)

    Your classes all sound really lovely! I am particularly intrigued by the Icelandic Sagas and Writing for Children. You'll have to keep us posted! :-)

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  8. HELLO SAGAS OF THE ICELANDERS BOOK THAT I OWN AND LOVE!! :D :D

    (I get inordinately happy about vikings; but you know this.)

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