As a minority at a historically black university I’m no stranger to invidious stares.
Even still, the semester continues to go smoothly and, as luck would have it, an exam has been postponed such that I can now make the time to post in detail about my new classes. They are, in the order that I attend them, as follows:
Word Power: As you might guess, this is an English vocab-building class. We began with a chapter on diction, which has proven both easy and helpful thus far. I’ll be the first to admit that, while I have better diction skills than the majority of my peers, there is certainly room for improvement. Something tells me that the rest of the semester will continue in this manner. I hope to get as much out of it as possible, and I believe it will prove to be an excellent grad school/GRE prep class.
My professor is Mr. Feazele (he hasn’t implied that he holds a Ph.D., and does not refer to himself as “Dr.” so I believe I’m correct in referring to him as “Mr.”). He is my lone white professor this semester. He has a tendency to ramble, but I can hardly hold that against him because the subject of words can be quite boring without a little deviation here and there.
Cultural Anthropology: This class is, of course, a social-science class. It is much as the name implies: an introductory course to cultural anthropology (as opposed to biological, archaeological, or linguistic anthropology). Seeing as how I was recently considering graduate studies in archaeological anthropology, I believe that this class will also prove valuable for my future scholastic endeavors. For this class, in lieu of a final exam, I must create a personal artifact. This will require some serious consideration.
My professor for this class is Dr. Taylor. She is an adjunct professor which, as best I can tell, means she only teaches part-time and has a real job somewhere else. She’s from the North East U.S. but she has taught and/or studied in many other parts of the world. She is very serious, but still manages to teach in an engaging manner. I think we’ll get along just fine.
Cultural Geography: This class is actually offered by my own department, the History Department. It seems like it will be an interesting angle for a geography class, and with the emphasis on cultural diversity, it seems to be right up my alley. I’ve been placed in a study group with ten other folks and assigned the country of Nigeria for my cultural research. That research will extend out of the classroom and immerse me into the native culture (as much as possible). The dual requirements of the out-of-class research are to attend a religious service and eat at a restaurant that most closely resembles the native religion and cuisine of our country. This should prove interesting since, due to a lack of Nigerian religion and cuisine, we’ll be improvising as best we can with the professor’s blessing.
My professor for this class is Dr. Thompson. She only teaches two classes because she also serves as the Director of the Center for Student Professional Development, which offers a mentorship-tutorial program that I have joined. I like Dr. Thompson because it is obvious from her demeanor that she is genuinely concerned about her students and wants them to do their best.
Introduction to Political Science: Another social science course. I hope to get a lot out of this class, too, although I despise the textbook. It’s difficult to explain, but there’s just something about the way it’s written that confuses and frustrates me. Being the conscientious student that I am, however, I purchased myself two supplemental books for cheap on the internet, and I’ve been making do in the meanwhile by consulting Wikipedia. So far this hasn’t resulted in any tragedies; only time will tell if I’ll out of there with an A by doing it this way.
My professor for this class is Dr. Ighoavada. He is from Nigeria, but he’s been here for over thirty years. He’s very passionate and I genuinely enjoy his lectures, but I have to pay very close attention to understand what he’s trying to convey.
Introduction to Philosophy: This is another class offered by my own department, the History (and Philosophy) Department. And this is another class that I will thoroughly enjoy. I’ve considered myself an amateur philosopher for many years, and now, at long last I have the opportunity to gain some formal training on the matter. This will certainly prove advantageous for my future in academia.
My professor for this class is Dr. Banks. He is a reverend, but his teaching is not biased in any apparent way by his faith, and for that he has my utmost respect. He is also a passionate lecturer, and I believe we will have an enjoyable semester.
And those are my classes. I truly feel that this semester will help me to grow academically, and thoroughly prepare me for graduate school. Each semester I spend at JSU I feel more at home there and I’m quite sure that by the time I arrive an unknown grad school in the future I’ll be missing the time spent here.
Alas, as I continue to write the hour grows ever later, but 6am patiently awaits with no regard for how much sleep I get and, considering that I have my first exam of the semester at 8am, I’d be well served to call it quits and get some rest.
