first week of classes

OK, so I have on more class to go to ... but it's a support module, which means I don't really _have_ to go to it, and there's really not much work I have to do for it or anything. So, I figure this is as good a time as any to write about the first week as a whole.

First off, the Linguistics Department is getting / has gotten new furniture and equipment, etc. We now have tables, chairs, and carpet every bit as nice as the English Department downstairs. And even our logo has changed (not to mention the name--Linguistics and Modern English Language (LAMEL) has now changed to just Linguistics and English Language). So, I guess maybe we are a good forum for indoctrinating students with Marxism, feminism, socialism, etc. Or, maybe that kind of stuff isn't based at all on the indoctrination abilities of the staff .... nah, that couldn't be it! ;)

Anyway, classes are going just fine. Most of mine are at 1:00 in the afternoon, which is the hardest time ever for me! It's right after lunch, and I'm always sleepy in those classes. However, most of the classes aren't as hard to take at that time of day as Corpus Linguistics was. The others are a little more entertaining/interesting, and they keep me awake. I did have to buy a Dr. Pepper the other day, though.

Every other week, we have a course meeting. Which means that everyone on my course (read: degree program) meets together to discuss any issues we might have. Concerns. Questions. Social events. You know, that sort of thing. Usually they're run by some student representatives we choose during the first week's meeting. But the first week, since we haven't chosen them yet, it was run by Dr. Papen (the course director) and Marjorie Wood (the dept. secretary, who has a great accent! I love listening to her talk). They went through all the pertinent points, and then Marj asked if we had anything we wanted to talk about before electing representatives. And we talked for at least a good 20 minutes about how the size of the classes was too large. "20 or 30 people in an MA class is just too much!" Wow. Doesn't bother me, especially seeing how I came from a system where that is the norm, even considered small sometimes. They seem to be really bothered by it, though. At least the Europeans. The Asians don't say anything about it. Maybe they come from even larger classes in China and Japan? The other complaint was that "in a class that size, you don't get to participate." Well, that didn't seem to be the problem in my Pragmatics seminar, where no one seemed to want to say anything ... but maybe it's different in the other classes.

Well, after finally settling everyone down on the size of classes, we got to the real meat of the meeting: electing representatives. I volunteered to be a library representative, along with Eirini (from Greece), and this basically means that we get to keep the Common Room tidy and make sure that people put the old MA theses back in the right place when they're done using them. I knew I would have to do something to get myself more involved in the program, and I figured this was the perfect thing. I don't have to be outspoken (at least not that often) when I don't want to be, and I get to sort things -- always something I enjoy. Well, usually at least. And I don't have to think up things for us to do socially, like the social reps have to. And I don't have to go to any more meetings than I otherwise would have to, like the department reps do. And besides, now I get to work with Eirini, and she's really nice.

The content of the courses is ... well, honestly, it's a little less than I was expecting. At least so far. Pragmatics and Corpus Linguistics feel almost like reviews for me so far, and Stylistics seems like a review of the book I read this summer (which was, after all, written by one of the staff members here at Lancs, albeit not the one teaching the Stylistics course). I'm sure things will get a little tougher as time goes on. And the readings will be plent to keep up with, that's for sure.

I can hardly wait to get going on my written assignments. They wait until Week 4 each term to give you the assignments (this is Week 1, by way of reference), and I'm getting anxious for them already. I'm trying to use my extra time right now by doing some research in the library about topics I'm interested in writing about, in case I can use any of it for my assignments. Or my dissertation, for that matter.

Oh, and the other night was Enrichment. It was fun, and it felt good just to know that I was there with the sisters and that I should be there. I had to walk to the church in the dark, though, which was slightly nerve-racking. You never know. And I got to meet my future home teachers. It's a couple who live in the south of Lancaster, which is the closest to the university. They've therefore been given the assignment to "look after" all the university students during the year. They gave me a ride home from the church, and they are very nice. They informed me that Charles Dickens stayed over in Lancaster for a while, and that there's a plaque for him at the King's Arms Inn, near the railway station. Now I have to take a picture! :)