Junior year, take 1

So. Here's my life in a nutshell.

I'm working roughly 25 hours a week. Which is good. A girls gotta pay her rent, you know?

I'm taking 16 credit hours. But wait...these are not typical credit hours mind. This is not your "Introduction to Geology" or other uninteresting gen-eds you can slough your way through, possibly not even really needing to attend. Oh no. Here are my classes along with a brief description of what they are and what they require:

Let's start with the minor.

Polisci 170, Intro to International Politics: This is possibly my easiest class. You take 2 mid-terms and a final that include questions from the assigned reading, including the M-F editions of the NYT, questions over current events, and lecture notes. Also included in each test is a blank map you identify random countries on. We're not talking France or Australia, here. The last portion of the grade is a 10-12 page research paper describing a foreign policy we'd like to change, and why. This paper counts for 34% of our grade. However, you can attend extra-credit lectures every Thursday...which I plan on doing.

Polisci 200, Political Inquiry: I have this class labelled as "Death" on my notebook We meet for 3 lecture hours a week and then 1 lab hour on Friday, making this a 4 credit class. for each class period we meet I have about 20-50 pages of reading to do. We have sporadic quizzes during lectures and are required to do one in lab assignment a week, along with an in-lab quiz. Also, there are 12 larger assignments due throughout the 15 week course, including 2 research plans. This class also involves Statistics - which I'm sure you all know I love with every fiber of my being. We conduct our own political survey at the end of this class, as well as take a midterm and a final.

Now for my major requirements.

Hist 200, Historian's Craft: For every reading I do in this class (and don't worry, it's about 30-40 pages a class period) I get to write a 2 page journal about what it made me think about in the realm of historiography. Other than that, the class is fairly laid back. There are pop-quizzes in class that deal with the reading, a writing mid-term, a writing final, and a 10-12 page paper on a historical subject of our choosing. We are to turn in a mid-term draft of this paper as well as critiques of our peers papers.

Hist 385, U.S. Women's History: This class is quite nice, despite the fact it freaks me out not to know what, exactly, I have to do for this class. Basically you do the readings (again, roughly 50 pages a class period) and you come to class with thoughts and ideas and we discuss it. It looks as though the only things I have to "look forward to" in this class are a mid-term paper, roughly 10 pages on what looks to be Early American women as well as an overview of women in general throughout History (again, not really clear on that), and a final paper - which details are apparently forthcoming.

Hist 495, Topical Readings Seminar: This class scares me a little bit, just because of the fact it's so independently motivated. We meet once a week on Wednesdays, but during that week we are supposed to read a book, on average around 200 pages, and write a 2 page response to it as well as present a chapter in that book to the class. As this is a seminar class it involves lots and lots of discussion. Also, at the end of the term, we are to read at least 2 additional books and write a 15 page paper comparing and interpreting the historiography of those books. Once again, I'm graded on having a draft as well as turning in the final paper.

So yes...that's my class load. And it's not the classes themselves that scare me, it's the fact that, for the first time in my academic career, I'm actually going to do real work outside of class. I mean, I've done the late night google research required to write papers before, I might have even spent an hour or two studying or reading. But this? No...this is going to be my entire life for the next few months. I've pretty much already decided my social life will be limited to Stanley and a jam session every week, just because those things are necessary for my sanity. Everything else is just fun and makes me happy.

Happiness can occur when I'm done with this semester.

So, you may ask, why am I blogging when I should be doing homework? Well, I suppose it's because I just did 2 hours of reading (yay women's history!) and needed a break and since my focus was already broken from taking my van to the shop I figured now would be a good time. That way I could alert you all the to hiatus from blogging that will inevitably come with school starting.

Anyway, hope life is wonderful for all!

Toodles!

-Jillian