Hi,
So this really doesn't have a whole lot to do with Swansea preparations or anything but about English things. Not that English is completely unrelated since that is my major, and studying abroad is primarily about education, partly inside the classroom.
When I left high school with the intent of getting an English undergraduate degree, I figured I had the format of my classes down. I would read a book, discuss it in class, write a paper, and be done with it. And for the most part, that's how the curriculum is structured, including some deviations into other genres. What I hadn't anticipated, however, is the sheer size of the literary field. (Foolish, I know.) I've gone from shuddering at writing inside my 7th grade edition of Out of the Dust to annotating every piece of text I can get a hold of. I've grown to appreciate, if not even enjoy, poetry (*gasp of shock*), reveling in the cleverness of the poet's use of vowel sounds, line lengths, and form to convey a specifically, condensed meaning. One of my biggest fears upon entering college is that I would choose the wrong major, forever damning myself to a career I would end up hating. I can barely afford to go through college once, let alone worrying about going back to fix a bad decision. I've been incredibly fortunate to pick a major, after much debate (Journalism, Veterinary Sciences, and Medicine were all viable options.), and become increasingly confident that I made the right decision. As my literary foundation expands, I'm able to compare themes in works, charting the evolution of a genre or a movement. Even an old classic can be examined in a new light, creating a boundless depth, ready to be dissected ad infinitum, never reaching a conclusion. It is this unattainability of truth, whether within a text or in real life, that makes literature endlessly fascinating for me. There is no right or wrong, just an exploration of whatever lies in between.
The source of my adoration of literature? I took a critical theory class this semester. It was probably one of the most challenging, and ultimately, most rewarding classes I've taken at U of I. In it, my class charted the evolution of literary analysis, from Cleanth Brooks's ideas on formalism to Ngugi Thiong'o's postcolonial theories. To prepare for each class, we would read a few articles which expanded on a particular theorists views regarding textual analysis and discuss the legitimacy of his or her claims as well as how it relates to the spectrum of literary analysis. It wasn't until I was studying for the final that it all really clicked and felt like I had a handle on this new dimension to my understanding of literature. Just before writing up this blog post, I was working on one of my essays for an online final. As I was planning out the structure of my argument, I realized a way in which I could parallel the evolution of the texts to the evolution from structuralist to deconstruction/poststructuralist theories. This class has seemingly transformed me into a pretentious English douchebag. And I'm kind of digging it. I feel like I'm getting my money's worth out of my education, and that my time as an undergraduate has been worthwhile. My writing, my analysis, and my appreciation for literature have all grown exponentially during my time here, and I'm proud to feel like an educated member of the public. So while I hope to have fewer pretentious revelations like I had a few weeks ago, like how the success of the Marching Illini's alternate system is probably rooted in the self-disciplinary aspect of Foucault's panopticon, I'm trying to look at it as a positive: I'm getting an education; this is what's supposed to happen. While the focus of my education abroad is probably going to be on a personal and cultural level, and that's likely what you'll read about on here, I love my major and everything I'm getting out of it. I hope to enjoy the academic side of my education as much as any other part of the experience.
So I've found a new obsession during finals week (good timing) that I want to share. If you haven't seen A Very Potter Musical on Youtube, go see it now. It's simultaneously hilarious and heartwarming. I'll put a link to the first part below. Seriously, go watch it. (Thanks Heather for reminding me to revisit it.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk
Happy finals week!
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