WOOW!
So, the last week has been so filled with experiences that I've hardly had time to catch my breath. But in a good way.
My first week of classes at Cal have been really good, busy but good. All of my courses require a lot of reading on my part, but the good part is that professor's understand that their assignments are cumbersome, so they try to help you in conversation about the pieces that they have assigned. Each of my professors have a great amount of passion for what they teach and they are excited to pass the information on.
One new experience that I am having here is having a "sectional" apart from the actual course in order to discuss the material presented in lecture. My Politics and Social Change course is a lecture for 90 minutes in which there is not a lot of room for discussion. However, I have discussion with a GSI (Graduate student) who helps to break down the material that I have read.
Another advantage to the reading is that it is so cumbersome that the professors are usually a day behind in lecture than the reading you are actually on. This helps in case you were not able to finish all of the reading. (Another advantage is that the classes are so big that the professor doesn't necessarily notice if you don't have a response to the text.)
My Virtual Communities class meets once a week for 3 hours. Although that sound horrible, it really isn't because the information and the professor are really worth the amount of time you spend.
One of the problems that I am having is handling the amount of information that I have to handle. We have a sight called Bspace where professors post announcements about readings, assignments and extra credit. My Society and Culture professor wants students to read as well as respond to the readings in the chat room for extra credit. However, he says to only respond to the texts that truly resonate with us, rather than forcing ourselves to talk about a piece that we did not enjoy or do not have much critique about. This is a relief because it is hard to have a response to some of the pieces when they are so heavily laden with jargon and theories.
Another issue that I am having is knowing which classes that I need to buy a book/reader for. I still have readers to buy as well as a book for my Politics and Social Change. However, my good fortune about the price of readers has run short. :-( My readers for Virtual Communities is going to cost an estimated $150. Hopefully this will be the most expensive material that I have to buy.
Another problem I am having with my Virtual Communities class is that he speaks so quickly and changes slides so fast that sometimes it is hard to keep up with the amount of information that he is trying to get us to understand. Also, he does not re post his slides on the internet. But, to make up for this, he is willing to slow down for anyone who asks. (And this is a class of about 150 people...) Another interesting feature of the course is that, he has created his own internet sight for the materials of the course, separate from Bspace. This is slightly stressful due to the fact that I already have quite a few sights to keep up with, so it would have been nice if he'd have just created a class on Bspace. However, this might just mean learning how to juggle all the things that I need to know.
Another way to keep up with the amount of information is that, assignments to be turned in are not every course. Rather, the professors have scheduled dates when they wish to have assignments turned in.
One thing that I hope to do with each professor is schedule some time early in which to speak with them. I am a little nervous about how to write for professors here. Anyone in college knows that writing styles have to vary in order to accommodate the kind of writing that the professors hope to see.
Another interesting aspect to juggle is the idea of remaining social underneath the amount of work that needs to be done. Most students at Cal are equally busy and strive to maximize the amount of time that they have to get work done. However, the floor that I live on is very lively and animated and they keep things interesting. (Beyond the co-ed bathrooms... Lol.)
Over the weekend, the girls on the floor went out to dinner and a movie. We went to see No Strings Attached, which I highly recommend. An exciting aspect is that the theaters are less than 10 min. away from campus and approximately 10 minutes from my actual dorm. This is a great thing in case there may come a day when I want to slip away from campus for two hours and see a movie. (I am one of those strange people who likes to slip away and go see a movie by myself once and awhile. It's a good idea to take yourself out for awhile once and a while.)
Also, the black community at Cal tries to create an extra community in which to bond with one another due to the fact that the population of blacks is pretty small. They have black campus ministry Bible studies and also a communal retreat to step away from campus and connect. Also, every Wednesday, they have "Black Wednesday" in front of the Golden Bear Cafe from 12-2. Do not feel bad or like you are not being open minded by participating in this kinds of activities. It is excellent to embrace the diversity that is available here at Cal. However, every community does it's best to keep a strong relationship going on campus. There are many clubs and activities for the plethora of identities at Cal (Asian, Latino, GLBTQ, Christian, Muslim, Techies, Dancers, Cyclists...)
So, embrace the diversity and the tailored identity opportunities.
All and all, it has been an interesting 7 days and I hope that, as time flows on, I will get more acclimated to all of the things that are available.
As always, there are more details that I would love to discuss. Yet, I must get to work. Busy, busy, busy. At least we know my hands aren't the devil's workshop. Lol.
Oh, and it was a lovely surprise to find that yesterday, I had 4 packages in the main room yesterday. 3 from my parents containing my tv, dvd, books, movies and printer! (Finally, I can print without signing over the rights to my firstborn child!)
The second was a lovely coat from my grandmother. :-) I repeat the rule of the first blog. One of the most excellent features for travel is having an awesome family to back you up.
Also, here is the address to the class website for my Virtual Communities course:
http://lookingattehinternets.blogspot.com
I included this because this is a course with such excellent information that everyone can use. Check it out if you have some time!!
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