My class schedule for next year, for those of you interested. In case you are confused, I go to a liberal arts school that's divided into nine "blocks," which translates into four classes one semester and five in the other. Looking back on my college career, I am proud to say that I never took a block off, and I never skipped class, not even when I was sick (not that I ever got sick). Unfortunately, the days when one got rewarded for this are now over, and I have to depend on my intellect to reap me benefits. I'm screwed.
1. Senior Seminar: Colonial Literature and Postcolonial Theory
2. Intermediate French
3. American Survey
4. Virginia Woolf
5. Jazz Improvisation
6. Topic: Who Owns Music? The Practice and Politics of Musical Borrowing
7. Advanced Critical Writing
8. Race, Sex, and the Constitution
9. Critical Theory
I know what you are thinking: Is this Sacks guy so hardcore that he is going to end his college career with Critical Theory? Damn right. I couldn't fit it anywhere else.
Some other notes:
-Regarding Intermediate French, I'm screwed. Part of a liberal arts education is that you need to take a requisite number of classes outside your major, which includes a language. Technically the only class you need to pass is one language class at the 205 level, but unfortunately you need to either make it through three beginning classes or pass into a higher level by taking a test at the beginning of freshman year. I passed into French 103, which meant I would have to take two classes. I took 103 back freshman year, but for numerous reasons I have had to keep pushing back when I would take 205. Now, I don't remember any French. This is bad news. I feel especially bad considering the amount of friends, particularly from high school, who have gone and lived in other countries and learned other languages. For some reason, I have tried to remain willfully ignorant of other languages, in part because I never really liked the French language to begin with. I wonder why I never went abroad, anywhere. I guess I couldn't imagine leaving my little liberal arts alcove, but now I'm gonna have to leave, or end up like Eric Stoltz in Kicking and Screaming (see that movie if you haven't).
-Jazz Improvisation is looking to be somewhat hardcore, although I'm sure I can take it way better than most people. I wonder if my teacher will be down for some jazz fusion in the form of, I dunno, Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow.
-I'm only taking Virginia Woolf because it's with the master of all things Woolf, and at Cornell there are disappointingly few classes devoted to a singular author (one on Milton, if I remember, and two on Shakespeare).
-I found out not long ago that a professor of some repute who recently left Cornell (and whose name is not really that googleable but I will withhold it, just in case), talked a bunch of shit about me to a friend of mine. He took great issue with my article on Mark Steyn, which angers me only because I consider that article/interview to be the only worthwhile thing I did on that paper, and he proceeded to tear me up for not being sufficiently critical of Steyn and Cornell for inviting a public speaker that a) didn't have old-school scholarly credentials, and b) maintained that multiculturalism is a deterrent on American progress. I felt like writing an angry E-Mail but I abstained, as surely he is a far superior rhetoritician. Still, I swear to God, if I were ever to become a professor I would not end up being a knee-jerk peacenik like so much of the faculty. I mean at least they can entertain a speaker's presence for a day or so.
-Jesse Helms was a prick.
Also, I need to consider giving this blog a bit more oomph. Those who have known me or seen me will understand when I say I have no concept of visual aesthetics, and I will pay someone to help redesign (and maybe get a guest blogger up in here, anyone interested?*) If some of my bloggier friends (Mendy, Jim, Ricky) want to work something out I would be glad and somewhat relieved.
Oh yeah, since Mendy posted a link to my last.fm meme I am bound by my code of honor to do the same for him: Here. I think his answers ended up being a lot more interesting then mine, but then he got lucky.
*Not Juell.
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Monday, July 14, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Been a long time
Sorry I haven't been updating this much. There are several reasons why this is, not the least because I was just in an incredibly busy class that I didn't know if it was proper to write about it, what with my name being so Googleable these days. I was just in a class called Reading in the Content Area, which is basically an Education class in which we studied different literacy theories, some of which I can definitely say have more value than others. Part of my class was actually going to a high school every day for two weeks, from 8-11 on every weekday except Friday, when I would spend the whole day there. This turned out to be an exhausting process. I was very unsure about whether I would blog about it, considering there are all sorts of privacy issues regarding my fellow teachers and students, and what's more I'm not sure the experience was all that positive.
Anyhow, even beyond that my life is just a torrid mess anyway. I'm really jonesing for another English class, but I'll have to wait a month--this block I have Secondary Arts & Languages, which is more or less the same class as last time. This means more visiting the same school. Hopefully I will have to talk less about Hannah Montana. No, don't ask me to explain what I'm doing.
What have I been doing with my time these days? Well, aside from fucking everything up, I've been writing a fair amount and reading even more. It must have been a wise person who said, "We write...so that we do not get more pissed off than we already are." I've been delving into a lot of fiction (okay), poetry (not so good), and essays I just sent into The Cornellian after I got a reply saying that I shouldn't complain until I have myself contributed something of value. Yes, I finally relented. I will post these all in due time, probably this evening actually.
Did anyone see Mitt Romney drop out of the race? Wonderful news, even if his concession speech was nothing but more Republican tomfoolery:
You can also look forward to some writing on Philip Roth (I'm in the midst of reading all of his novels, in order of publication), the situation in Gaza, composing music for the upcoming Fuel open mic night, being a miserable individual, my roommate playing Persona 3, my fear of Hillary Clinton's inevitable nomination, and my love-hate relationship (mostly love) with L.A.M.F.
Sorry everyone. It's not like you care.
Anyhow, even beyond that my life is just a torrid mess anyway. I'm really jonesing for another English class, but I'll have to wait a month--this block I have Secondary Arts & Languages, which is more or less the same class as last time. This means more visiting the same school. Hopefully I will have to talk less about Hannah Montana. No, don't ask me to explain what I'm doing.
What have I been doing with my time these days? Well, aside from fucking everything up, I've been writing a fair amount and reading even more. It must have been a wise person who said, "We write...so that we do not get more pissed off than we already are." I've been delving into a lot of fiction (okay), poetry (not so good), and essays I just sent into The Cornellian after I got a reply saying that I shouldn't complain until I have myself contributed something of value. Yes, I finally relented. I will post these all in due time, probably this evening actually.
Did anyone see Mitt Romney drop out of the race? Wonderful news, even if his concession speech was nothing but more Republican tomfoolery:
Europe is facing a demographic disaster. That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality. Some reason that culture is merely an accessory to America’s vitality; we know that it is the source of our strength. And we are not dissuaded by the snickers and knowing glances when we stand up for family values, and morality, and culture. We will always be honored to stand on principle and to stand for principle.I think a weakened faith in the Creator is exactly what some of us could use right now. In fact, one of the articles I wrote for The Cornellian (I wrote a bunch, just in case) is about exactly that. I will post it later, even though I think I've made pretty much all of the arguments already in these pages.
You can also look forward to some writing on Philip Roth (I'm in the midst of reading all of his novels, in order of publication), the situation in Gaza, composing music for the upcoming Fuel open mic night, being a miserable individual, my roommate playing Persona 3, my fear of Hillary Clinton's inevitable nomination, and my love-hate relationship (mostly love) with L.A.M.F.
Sorry everyone. It's not like you care.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
An idea I've had
Lately I've been kicking around some ideas to do at student symposium this coming spring. I definitely want to do something (especially considering the amount of talking I've been engaged in lately about going into academia). The problem is, I can't think of any particular author or artist I could consider myself an expert on that no one else has. I mean, I know Kerouac almost by heart, but so does every asshole. No one wants to see a symposium project on that. I was debating doing one on Hitchens, who is not a fiction writer, so I don't know about that. None of my professors have asked me to do anything, so I assume none of them are that interested in what I have to say. Whatever.
An option for the symposium, and for English honors in general, is to write some sort of short story, but I gather that not many people do this because the professors are intensely critical of fiction work. I think I could do it though. I was recently reminded of John Barth's great short story "Click," which deals very explicitly with the idea of "hypertextuality," wherein all works of science or literature could be connected to each other via hypertext links, not unlike the internet itself. "Click" was written in 1997, but when I read it a few months back I was shocked at how prescient it seemed. Whether he was presenting an absolutely new way of thinking or a new way of literature is debatable, but in these days of Web 2.0, it seems relevant, at least considering what I know.
"Click" offers a lot of interesting new perspectives on the craft of reading, but in the end, it's just basic text made to fool us into thinking that this "hypertextuality" goes beyond the printed page. My idea was to take Barth's ideas (which I don't think are necessarily his) and elaborate it into a symposium project wherein I would create a wikistory. To elaborate, I thought that I would start with a base text, perhaps only a few paragraphs long, that would contain links to other sections of the wiki, to be read at the readers' own discretion. These separate pages or articles would contain some sort of poem or prose, or even a picture, that would complement or illuminate what I was saying on the original page. Some of these pages would branch out further into other pages--the end result would add up to something along 20 pages of actual material, but the reader is free to look at it in several different ways.
My biggest problem is that I don't know how to make a wiki. My friend Karl is a very strong proponent of wikis, so maybe I will enlist him to help. This may be way over my head though. It seems like a good idea, but what about the actual plot? What would I write about? It's important that my subject matter work as a linear piece of literature as well as a pedagogical exercise, because otherwise I could write any cryptic bullshit I wanted, and I am not the kind of person that likes to do that.
Anyway it's just an idea. I probably won't go through with it. It's better than most of my ideas though.
An option for the symposium, and for English honors in general, is to write some sort of short story, but I gather that not many people do this because the professors are intensely critical of fiction work. I think I could do it though. I was recently reminded of John Barth's great short story "Click," which deals very explicitly with the idea of "hypertextuality," wherein all works of science or literature could be connected to each other via hypertext links, not unlike the internet itself. "Click" was written in 1997, but when I read it a few months back I was shocked at how prescient it seemed. Whether he was presenting an absolutely new way of thinking or a new way of literature is debatable, but in these days of Web 2.0, it seems relevant, at least considering what I know.
"Click" offers a lot of interesting new perspectives on the craft of reading, but in the end, it's just basic text made to fool us into thinking that this "hypertextuality" goes beyond the printed page. My idea was to take Barth's ideas (which I don't think are necessarily his) and elaborate it into a symposium project wherein I would create a wikistory. To elaborate, I thought that I would start with a base text, perhaps only a few paragraphs long, that would contain links to other sections of the wiki, to be read at the readers' own discretion. These separate pages or articles would contain some sort of poem or prose, or even a picture, that would complement or illuminate what I was saying on the original page. Some of these pages would branch out further into other pages--the end result would add up to something along 20 pages of actual material, but the reader is free to look at it in several different ways.
My biggest problem is that I don't know how to make a wiki. My friend Karl is a very strong proponent of wikis, so maybe I will enlist him to help. This may be way over my head though. It seems like a good idea, but what about the actual plot? What would I write about? It's important that my subject matter work as a linear piece of literature as well as a pedagogical exercise, because otherwise I could write any cryptic bullshit I wanted, and I am not the kind of person that likes to do that.
Anyway it's just an idea. I probably won't go through with it. It's better than most of my ideas though.
The day before...
Two days without blogging this early in the game is not a good sign. I need to step up, but as always, I find myself at a loss of what to say. I was just studying for my final, one that promises to be possibly the easiest final of my college career. All night I've been reading about neoclassicism, minimalism, postminimalism, etc. in bite-size chunks, and I think I have a pretty good grasp on the classical music end of things. Regarding the popular music end? Not even a challenge, not even gonna study. A day or so back I had a quiz where I was asked to match certain musical artists to their genres, and the choices were like the Sex Pistols, Nirvana, the Bee Gees and Talking Heads. Needless to say, it was very easy.
One interesting thing I have noticed in the news is Germany's latest declaration regarding Scientology as a dangerous cult. Of course I am inclined to agree, for reasons more personal than one might expect, but this seriously infringes on anyone's right to religion. Now, I can understand that Scientology might pose a physical threat to certain people, and it is a very strange and seductive religion that has no qualms about fucking over its constituents. To a certain extent, that is their own fault, and the subjugation and brainwashing of kids is an unfortunate side effect of living in a semi-free democracy, and anyway Christians and Jews do it plenty too.
On the other hand, I understand that this is Germany we are talking about, and they know a thing or two about dangerous cults that restrict the essential freedoms and rights of humans. They must have a genuine concern, although I have yet to read what it actually is. It seems to me this all stems from Tom Cruise making some Nazi movie in Germany. Why all the Tom hate? Can someone explain this to me? Why no Travolta hate? He was the one who made the Passion of Scientology (which, I'm almost ashamed to say, I saw on opening day).
Regarding the "personal reasons" I was referring to earlier: my dad told me that a friend of his had a daughter who committed suicide as a result of monetary pressure from her Scientology church. At least that's what he said, I don't know if she readily admitted this before she killed herself. Sadly, this does seem to be how Scientology operates, at least according to L. Ron Hubbard:
"A Suppressive Person or Group becomes fair game. By FAIR GAME is meant, may not be further protected by the codes and disciplines or the rights of a Scientologist."
Basically, their doctrine is to completely destroy and demoralize anyone who dares criticize them. Well, I'll be one of many and call them out. Scientology is a crazy cult that does innumerable damage to defenseless children and adults alike. The church itself can be indirectly linked to the murder or suicide of several people within the church, yet they seem to operate outside the law. I don't care how wonderful Jerry Maguire or Road Hogs is, it is our duty to point this out.
One interesting thing I have noticed in the news is Germany's latest declaration regarding Scientology as a dangerous cult. Of course I am inclined to agree, for reasons more personal than one might expect, but this seriously infringes on anyone's right to religion. Now, I can understand that Scientology might pose a physical threat to certain people, and it is a very strange and seductive religion that has no qualms about fucking over its constituents. To a certain extent, that is their own fault, and the subjugation and brainwashing of kids is an unfortunate side effect of living in a semi-free democracy, and anyway Christians and Jews do it plenty too.
On the other hand, I understand that this is Germany we are talking about, and they know a thing or two about dangerous cults that restrict the essential freedoms and rights of humans. They must have a genuine concern, although I have yet to read what it actually is. It seems to me this all stems from Tom Cruise making some Nazi movie in Germany. Why all the Tom hate? Can someone explain this to me? Why no Travolta hate? He was the one who made the Passion of Scientology (which, I'm almost ashamed to say, I saw on opening day).
Regarding the "personal reasons" I was referring to earlier: my dad told me that a friend of his had a daughter who committed suicide as a result of monetary pressure from her Scientology church. At least that's what he said, I don't know if she readily admitted this before she killed herself. Sadly, this does seem to be how Scientology operates, at least according to L. Ron Hubbard:
"A Suppressive Person or Group becomes fair game. By FAIR GAME is meant, may not be further protected by the codes and disciplines or the rights of a Scientologist."
Basically, their doctrine is to completely destroy and demoralize anyone who dares criticize them. Well, I'll be one of many and call them out. Scientology is a crazy cult that does innumerable damage to defenseless children and adults alike. The church itself can be indirectly linked to the murder or suicide of several people within the church, yet they seem to operate outside the law. I don't care how wonderful Jerry Maguire or Road Hogs is, it is our duty to point this out.
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