I went through and did the math on my GPA for the MA program. (I’m a dumb ass and this took me a while.) If I get lowly B’s–which is unlikely, I am generally a very good student, my GPA is still high enough to graduate. Even with that F for the Incomplete I didn’t finish. I hated that teacher enough to be willing to fuck my GPA with an F just so that I never had to talk to her again. It was worth it. My life is better for it.

It looks like I am taking two classes. One of them is on Mondays which will require rescheduling Chris.

English 204 – Seminar in Modern Approaches to Literature (Prof. Brada-Williams)

M 1900-2145

The Russian Formalists argued that what made literary language different from other forms of language was that literature defamiliarizes, making us see the world in a new way. One could argue that the literary theory and criticism of the twentieth century has, in turn, made us see literature in new ways. The semester will be spent in examining various ways critics and theorists have come to see the way literature works, and to form the questions we must ask of texts, of readers, of authors, and of how literature continues to shape the way we see the world around us. We will read and discuss many rigorous and intellectually challenging critical and theoretical readings, mostly from The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.

English 254: Seminar in Genre Studies of American Literature (Prof. Douglass)

W 1600-1845

The Literature of Social and Political Change: Some of the literature of socio-political intent is sentimental, some sensationalist, some as didactic as Plato’s The Republic. Whether sentimental, sensational, teacherly, preacherly, or stealthy in its approach, however, a great deal of American literature has been produced from the desire to change the world. Politically engaged literature took a critical beating in the past century, as the New Criticism elevated the art object above the fray of particular political and social conflicts, but the critical schools that flowered in soil turned over by the New Criticism have argued that art is always implicated in the cultural conflicts that produce power and wealth. Instead of looking for the hidden or subconscious intent in works that ask to be accepted as “ nonpolitical,” this course will focus on literature which overtly engages the social and political issues of its day. We will consider this literature in the light of aesthetic standards and from recent critical perspectives such as Deconstruction, Marxism, Feminism, Queer Studies, and Postcolonialism. Some authors to be considered include Sherman Alexie, Amiri Baraka, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Lorraine Hansberry, Upton Sinclair, Dalton Trumbo, Helen Hunt Jackson, John Steinbeck, David Henry Hwang, Margaret Atwood, and Richard Wright.

These both sound interesting and challenging. I have a strong familiarity with some branches of criticism, but I’m completely non-existent in other areas. This should help me towards the final exam I need to take for the MA. I will be spending an inordinate amount of time reading and studying over the next few months as the next opportunity to take the MA exam is in April. I also need to start working on Spanish again so I can try to take the language test. Thank god it is written only. I think I will be able to handle it, but I may be recruiting my friends who know Spanish for a few study sessions. 🙂

It’s going to feel weird to be a student again.

I like doing anonymous question time every so often. I get good questions. Things about: what kind of personality do I hope my kid will have. When did I lose my virginity. What is the hardest thing I went through as a kid. Touchy hard things to ask about sex. And today I was asked when does hitting become abuse. The kid qualified that he or she doesn’t get hit that much, but sometimes it gets kind of out of hand.

I really value this time because sometimes I am asked stupid questions, but I can tell that the kids store up these things they are afraid to ask about. I’m always painfully honest. (I didn’t give them an exact age on losing my virginity but I pointed out that some people measure from losing the hymen but I believe that virginity goes when you first *choose* to have sex. I told them that I was younger than I hope will be true for them and I made the decision then because I had a bad childhood and believed that was the way to get someone to like me. I said that I hope they have a better sense of self-esteem than that because they all deserve better.) The question about hitting lead to a very serious and intense conversation about abuse and how to get out of it. I expressed that the person who submitted the question is brave for being willing to ask, even in an anonymous setting. I talked about how much shame and guilt exists around this topic and why people tend to feel guilty. I told them about the process for reporting abuse and what will happen to them if they do report it and why going through that is worth it.

They were very intense as they listened. I was impressed. I think this is one of the best things I do as a teacher. I’m going to miss this.

And I told them about the tattoo. They are stunned.