Making Sense of The Proverb
1. The Dark Cloud
I haven't done it yet, but I will very soon be dropping one of my English courses. Not because of the professor (although he's kind of poncy) or because of the material (sounds pretty confusing) or even because of the room (a six by eight foot hole they're trying to cram 25 people in) but because of a student. One single student, and I'm dropping the class.
You may remember me ranting about 'John' last year. Even if you don't remember (I barely remember what I wrote), suffice it to say that he's just about the most socially inept individual I've ever met. He doesn't know when to stop talking about his pet topics (fantasy and the fact that he's an Author), he always has an opinion which he states in a voice that makes it clear All Must Agree With Him, he makes bad jokes, he has an ego the size of Texas, and he hits on every female in sight. While I'm somewhat fine talking to him one-on-one, I spent my single one-and-a-half hour stint in this tiny classroom unable to look up because I could literally feel the frustration of others and this man's desperation for companionship. The room pulsed with discomfort.
I vacillate between feeling sorry for him (only someone truly desperate for a girlfriend and for others would break so many social conventions in order to just get people to talk to him or laugh at his jokes) and being angry at him (30 year old men should be aware that asking a casual acquaintance whom they haven't talked to in months is as they rush out the door is not appropriate). But needless to say, taking that course would have meant I spent two days out of every incapacitated by feelings of intense embarrassment.
So I'm dropping it.
2. The Silver Lining
After some intense scrutiny of the English course manual, plus much emailing, I am now taking a half-credit Honours Essay course. This means I get to research and write 10 000 words on comic books. More specifically, the possible reasons why so many contemporary graphic novels are autobiographies which portray their authors in unflattering ways.
Now, this may not tickle your fancy, but for me, it's incredibly exciting. I get to study something that's never been studied before. And not just my specific topic -- there are maybe three english professors who are studying comics in all of Canada. The whole field of comics! All of Canada!
Of course the whole thing could blow up in my face -- I could have a topic which it turns out is unwritable. But on the other hand, I could just open up a whole new field in English Literature studies.
Only time will tell...
posted by bento at 12:51 PM
4 Comments:
Sounds like fun (the essay). Hope you have a good time writing it.
Did you talk to the professor about the student? Sometimes professors need to know that they need to tell people to shut up.
4:49 AM
Having had a class with this student last year, I know that profs can do very little to reign this guy in. Also, the prof was kind of pretentious himself, very young, and had little conception of class control.
Although I am considering mentioning my frustration with the student to the undergraduate chair, since I've heard other people mention that he disrupts their learning too.
3:06 PM
But realistically, what could you say: "John disrupts our learnding because he's so nerdy and he won't shut up? Also he's a dork?"
Seriously, though--what can the chair do? John's (presumably) paid his tution just as much as you have. If the professors can't control the class...
7:57 AM
I know, I know. The only thing the chair might be able to talk to John about is his incessant flirting (in a sad, socially inept sort of way) with anything that is female -- that's the only part of his behaviour which I find actually creepy (as opposed to merely annoying).
But as you say, there's not much the chair can do, so I probably won't say anything.
6:58 AM
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