humanities

i said in my last post that i was going to write more about that feminism class. first off, i'd like to state that although i go to a math and science school, my favorite part is that i get to take humanities courses. in fact, they usually are my favorite classes. (thus, it just made sense to me to switch my major last semester to do something i really truly love.) this is not to say that i regret going to mudd, because i don't. i've said this a lot lately, but the past four years at mudd has really helped me learn about myself. this place is hard, and it's definitely not meant for everybody. in fact, for the first two years, i was really convinced that i don't belong here. i didn't think i was nerdy enough or smart enough. but i am really glad i stuck it through. actually the dean of academic affairs and my professors were the ones who told me that i could make it. they were there to support me through my rough patch. and they advised me that i needed to be more involved and busy for me to be able to make it. and they were right. i am definitely the kind of person that the more busy i get, the more efficient i become. else, if i have nothing to do, i feel myself rotting.

anyway, back to the whole humanities thing. mudd requires that everyone takes at least a third of their classes in humanities. not everyone likes this rule, but i love it! initially, i wasn't too fond of this, because like most people, i came to mudd for the math and science, not the arts or sociology or the likes. however, i found that through these classes, i was challenged. my views and opinions were challenged, and i was forced to think on other levels. for example, i had to take a media theory class for my new major. since my schedule was so packed this semester, i decided that i want a class that doesn't meet very often, so i picked the one that worked best for my schedule: feminist concepts and strategies, which meets once a week from 2:45pm to 5:30pm. not too bad, right? except, before i started taking the class, i was scared because of the stereotypes i've heard from people about feminists and about feminist classes (especially at scripps). i thought that i wouldn't be able to last in the class for more than a month. so i definitely came into the class with a bias. and then reality hits, and so did the assignments. not only was this class an art production class but it was really heavy in the reading material. i was assigned about three hundred pages to read just for the first week of class, and the rest of the semester didn't look any lighter. i was really sold that i would not enjoy this class at all.

however, i was wrong, and it is now one of my favorite classes i've ever taken in my life. i've learned to look and treat others in a more positive light.

i know i'm rambling on and on now about this class, but i just really want to reiterate how much i love humanities courses. and it's so sad to me that a lot of people don't take that opportunity to go explore many of the hum classes offered by the five colleges. most people take as many economics classes as possible and try to skip out on the rest. and as helpful as econ classes can be, it doesn't really challenge you to look at things in a different light. well, that's my take on it. haha.