I’ve already taken Jon’s 322 class (North of the Rio Grande), and although the structure runs along similar lines (pimpin’ out a Wikipedia article, writing blogs, etc...), there are also several adjustments that have been made to the curriculum which I actually see as improvements. For example, in 322 we were racing against time to try to start articles and get them nominated for ‘Did you know...?’ status. The fact that we’re not doing this in this semester could be because all our articles have already been started and at this point are not eligible for DYK, but in my mind: the lack of pressure is all for the best. Competing against time for my first Wikipedia experience was overwhelming and stressful. Even though my group did manage to get a DYK, I felt that I had started my Wikipedia writing style off on the wrong foot, and as a consequence had to go back to the drawing-board halfway through the semester when I realized that wikipedia is (lo and behold) written like an encyclopaedia, not an opinion page or a collection of related quotes. The annotated bibliography is an especially handy tool. I feel that my organized notes on the book I read will enhance my section on Alejo Carpentier’s baroque style because they are all laid out neatly and plainly for me to pick and choose what I want to use; not to mention sections that my group members could also use. Perhaps it’s not a bad idea to do this sort of thing with the other articles and books as well.
I really love the idea of blogwriting for a weekly ‘assignment’. This ensures that the class has read the assigned reading and also allows us to cast all of our thoughts out before we go to class and really delve into the themes, characters, and nuances of each book. I feel particularly passionate about being able to write my blog about whatever pleases me at the time. There’s a seed of freedom there (and, of course, it’s environmentally friendly). :)
The readings always seem like a lot at the time, but I’m enjoying that we are spending at least one week of classes on each half of the books. It was wonderful to start out with Asturias and transition into Carpentier; two authors with similar writing styles, but to different ends. Asturias with his mythical tales of religious proportions, and Carpentier who uses historical and cultural references to bring the marvellous , instead of the magical, into the reality that he associates with both his Cuban and European identities.
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I had Jon for 404 and he introduced the use of blogging and I really think it is great. Sometimes in class you don't get a chance to make in-depth analysis as you would by making a blog entry.
ReplyDeleteWhy hello there. Thank you for the friendly comment on my blog. I'll return the favor! First off, I completely agree with you that blogging is a rather interesting way of giving us a weekly assignment. At first when I started writing mine, I got a little uptight and wrote it with the motivation of trying to please the prof as opposed to deriving enjoyment from it as I do now. Your experience with a past Wikipedia project has me a little bit concerned to be honest. On the surface the project doesn't appear to be too daunting - find some articles, use them as a basis for an article and go. However, there has always been a little voice in the back of my head saying "don't take this lightly amigo, this is gonna be tougher than you think." Your commentary is clearly testimony to that little voice in the back of my head. As a result, I'm definitely going to pay more active attention to this project than I was previously.
ReplyDeleteFinally, to respond to your question - No, I have never considered writing for print media as a career. I've never really seen myself as a writer per se, I just like to ramble a lot and hope people listen. I'll take that comment of yours as a compliment though! As a concluding note, Imperial is by far the best beer that I have ever tasted. I went through a solid 6 months of heroin addict like withdrawal when I came back.
Hasta luego mae