Interesting Choice

I took a Humanistic Studies my freshman year and I loved it. The books we read and the way the teacher held the class was so amazing. I chose to take this course because I loved the other class so much. My friends didn't really understand why, I had my HUST requirement why would I take another class where I have to read all the time. But the first day of class I knew I made the right choice. It's a challenging class and I knew it was going to take a lot out of me. But I'm so glad I took it.

I think the only thing I think i would change about the course is the Blog. It's so hard to remember and to keep up with them. That said, I liked everything else about the class. It was so enjoyable. I really liked everything that we read and all the in class discussion. I think I really enjoyed this class because it made me think. Alot of times I sit in a class room and just absorb information. People don't ask for your ideas or opinions about things. It's all facts. But in this class its about our interpretation of stories. It makes class so much more interesting. And it's one of the few classes I look forward to coming to. So thank you for making class fun and interesting. I really enjoyed it and even though the papers were hard you helped me write them and I never felt embarrased to ask for help. So thanks for making it easier for me! Thank you!

Ending Thoughts...

I really enjoyed this class. Unlike most gen. ed. required classes I have taken so far in my college career I found this class a lot easier to relate to. The books we were more along the types I would pick up in a bookstore and read. I really enjoyed the discussion based lectures as well. It was helpful in being able to hear others opinions well trying to understand my own. The connection of this class to history and art I also enjoyed, as it helped to feel different from an English class. I wish I had more room in my schedule to take more HUST classes as I feel I really would have enjoyed them.

HUST 103...

I chose to take this class because I needed 2 more gen-eds. I didn't really know what to expect from the course upon signing up. I was also excited because I hadn't read any of the titles that were on the syllabus. Now, as the semester is coming to an end, I realize than this has been one of my favorite courses this semester. with the exception of one thing, I really liked the readings and the discussions we had in class. Professor Ambrose is a cool professor and thought of interesting assignments. For instance: paper 2 was really fun to write and gave us a chance to be creative instead of just analyzing.

I also liked the writing in the blog and reading what other girls wrote and thought was important in the readings and what people did or didn't like. The blog entries also sparked new ways to think of important passages and characters in the stuff we read. They were tedious to do every week, but overall helpful. Overall, HUST 103 was very interesting and I'm glad I took the course with Professor Ambrose as the teacher and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to read good stuff or is looking for a gen-ed.

The Night Before HUST

Adapted from the Night Before Christmas by Henry Livingston

'Twas the hours before our last class together, when all through the dorms


Not a resident was stirring, not even a nun;

The grades were hung on blackboard with care,


In hopes that an A soon would be there;



The students were nestled all snug in their beds,


While visions of Omishito and Lucy danced in their heads;



And Desdemona without her 'kerchief, and my pen missing its cap,


Dillard had just settled in the cabin for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,


Sanjeev sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window Gilman creeped like a freak,


Tore down the yellow wallpaper and threw up the coward.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen rain

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,


But a miniature Virgin, and five hundred pounds,



With a little old parson, so lively and quick,


I knew in a moment it must be Hugo.



More rapid than hawks his accusations they came,


And the crowd whistled, and shouted, and called Odin by name;


"Now, Manus! now, Sarah! now, Jimmy Jack and Maire!


On, Doalty! on Bridget! on, Hugh and Owen!



To Baile Beag! to Ballybeg we must!


Now read away! read away! read away all!"



As deer do during the wild hurricane… fly,


When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,



So up to the close-reading the students they flew,


With the blogs full of insight, and L. Ambrose too.


 

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof


The prancing and pawing of each little thought.

As Sanders drew Indiana down, and was turning around,


Down the chimney HUST 103 came with a bound.



They were dressed all in sleep, from their heads to their ‘foots’,


And their clothes were all tarnished with deep thoughts and soot;



A bundle of questions they had flung on their backs,


And they looked like hikers just opening their packs.



Thier eyes -- how they twinkled! their dimples not many!


Their cheeks were like roses, their noses like cherries!



Their droll little mouths were drawn up like bows,


And the outside of their coats were as white as the snows;



The stump of a pipe no one had tight in their teeth,


And the thoughts they encircled their heads like a wreath;



Maybe a broad face or a little round belly,


That shook, when they laughed like a bowlful of jelly.



They were chubby not plump, some right jolly young elfs’,


And She laughed when She saw them, in spite of herself;



A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,


Soon let them to know they had nothing to dread;



They spoke a few words, but went straight to their work,


And filled all their notebooks; then turned with a jerk,



And laying their pens aside of the books,


And giving a nod, up the chimney they rose;



They sprang to their rides, to their drivers they gave a whistle,


And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.



But I heard them exclaim, ere they drove out of sight,


"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

[I really enjoyed class, the blogs, the readings, it all seemed to go by so fast. ]

Impressions and Reflections

Along with many of you, I was hesitant coming into the class because I had no clue what to expect. The course description sounded like it would be an interesting class to take. And it was just that.

My favorite part of Lives and Times was the books and stories we read. I probably would not have read them if it wasn’t for this class and I found them to be very entertaining to read. I particularly found The Yellow Wallpaper and This Blesses House to be very absorbing. I especially liked how we watched the movie “O” as it brought new discussion topics to our section in Othello. It was great to see Othello in a different and modern light and to make connections and contrasts between the two.

One other aspect of the class that I took notice to was Professor Ambrose’s organization of certain topics and books that related. I actually didn’t realize how it all tied together until class last Friday. It was astounding to see that it was all connected and they built off each other. Paper 2 was my favorite assignment by far. At first, I thought the whole project seemed a bit tedious. But when I started writing the paper, I was excited that I was able to use my own creativity to come up with a new story that added on to one of my favorite stories.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Lives and Times. Professor Ambrose was always enthusiastic about our discussions and shed new light onto what open discussion really is. I read many books that really got my attention, wrote a creative paper I never thought I would be able to do, and conversed freely with my peers. The class was not what I expected, but I am completely okay with that!

Last Blog?!

I signed up for Lives and Times and prepared myself for a completely different class than the class I will walk away from come Tuesday December 16th. It is safe to say that it was not what I expected, but I am completely okay with that for a couple reasons.I can easily say that I left Professor Ambrose's class everyday with a better understanding of the material than I had had the day before, and ultimately I will leave this course as a better student than I was before I started it. Not only was this class more beneficial to me than I expected it to be, I also was able to read a lot of books and stories that I may not have ever heard of otherwise.
Out of all of my first semester classes of my first year at Saint Mary's, this course has not only encouraged me to grow as a writer but has helped me in this process the most. I am so thankful for this. Also, it has given me more confidence in the classroom due to our many classroom discussions and our interaction with one another's writing and ideas. Last, but not least, this class has introduced me to blogs and I will leave Lives and Times as more of an internet-whiz than I was in August of this year. Awesome.
I would also like to comment on the what we have read this semester and the three sections of reading. I thought it was really cool how they were split up and really emphasized different interpretations of place and how it affects people of different gender, age and time. It really gave us all a broad range of information for a more particular topic.
Thanks, Professor Ambrose, for the time and thought you put into this course!

Course Reflections

I would just like to say that I am very happy that I decided to take this course this semester. I have to agree with many others when I say I initially thought this course was geared more towards history. I must also agree with my classmates because I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading and analyzing the readings. The readings in general were extremely interesting. Each reading highlighted the emphasis of one's place with being too difficult to comprehend.

The course was interesting and taught me so much. I am certain that the analytical skills have improved. I know this because I have already found myself doing a "close reading" in some of my other classes and that skill has helped improve my grade for those same classes. I honestly feel that this class also helped me express my personal thoughts better. I now feel more comfortable participating in class as well as expressing myself in my writing. For this I would like to thank Professor Ambrose. I also felt comfortable walking into class. Even if I was ever confused by the material, I knew the discussion would clarify the readings and I would not have to feel embarrassed about my lack of understanding. Additionally, I went several times during office hours and each time I went I left feeling more confident about myself and more certain about the topic at hand.
So thank you professor! Thank you for all your dedication and understanding throughout the semester.