Fin

It is really unbelievable that a semester has gone past so quickly. It was not until Thanksgiving break that it really dawned on me that another semester was basically over. Looking back on my semester is not something that I feel ready to do.....it is too soon.....I am just not prepared to acknowledge that 2007 is coming to a close....I don't want to see children sitting on Santa's lap just yet (I saw it today at Wal-Mart)....IT'S JUST TOO SOON.... ..... fine. I have to say that I enjoyed the class and liked the teacher (I am not just saying that [last semester I dropped my English class because I did not like it or the teacher]). The books we read were, in general, not the type of thing I would have read on my own and really caused me to pause and think. Several of the books were written from perspectives with which I was not familiar and made me reconsider some of my presuppositions (and consider some of my other presuppositions). The class discussions were intelligent and sometimes quite insightful; I was impressed by the low number of pointless tangents that might have been expected if the discussions had not been well led. English was my only class in which I did not struggle to remain conscious; the interaction was a nice hiatus from the normal lecture style classes or from the even worse "Death By PowerPoint" style Air Force briefings. In conclusion, I've learned lot's of things in this class (such as snazzy closings like "In conclusion" and how great contractions are) and I hope that I contributed something to everyone's classroom experience and general quality of life.

English 108 in Retrospect

At the beginning of this semester I was slightly disgruntled that I was taking an English course; especially English 108, an advanced class. For me, English has always meant a lot of writing and extensive papers and I was worried English 108 would detract from my studies on my mostly science based schedule. However, reflecting on what we have done this year, I am extremely happy that I chose to take this course. Although the workload for this class was extensive, it didn't hurt me in my other classes and I found the literature we read and the movies we watched to be a refreshing break from the rest of my schedule. English 108 is the first class I have taken where all of the material we read has been recently published. Also, out of all the English classes I have taken, the material in 108 has by far been the most interesting for me. I believe that the material we went over was the strongest aspect of the class. All of the books we read had controversial topics and led to great discussions in class. In addition, I always felt like the class environment was very open and non-judgemental and that my opinions on topics were always respected. Although I disliked these blogs, they were very beneficial to my writing skills. These blogs have improved my writing style and the speed in which I get my ideas out on paper. At the beginning of the semester I was spending twice as long to write these blogs as I it takes me now. If I had to say anything negative about this class, it would be that we had to read "The Hours". I absolutely hated that book. Other then that, I felt like English 108 was an excellent course for me and I would recommend it to other students. My time spent in 108 was enjoyable and I would like to thank Richard for everything he has taught us.

ENG 108 Reflection

My first experience with college writing was a welcome relief from high school English classes structured around analyzing rhetorical devices. For once I actually got to study materials that were at least somewhat interesting to me from a standpoint other than diction, syntax, or symbolism. I was able to diverge from these old ways to study in depth the meanings of the works on a larger scale. One thing that surprised me about the course, however, was the lack of writing assignments. In high school we were made to write essays in class nearly every day in preparation for the AP tests, so getting a chance to relax in class was excellent.

Although I enjoyed not writing so many essays, I think I would have found it beneficial to do more writing. I can honestly say that my writing has not improved as a result of taking this course, though my comprehension and insight on different aspects of texts have improved significantly. The blog assignments, to me, seemed almost deleterious to my writing. I became accustomed to writing in an informal manner and my writings became simplistic.

Professor Severe exceeded my expectations as an instructor. As my first male English teacher, I enjoyed seeing the differences in perspectives from my previous teachers. He obviously knew what he was doing and guided the classroom discussions in such a way to open minds and get the students to think for themselves and trust their opinions and argumentation. One recommendation that I have is to provide more feedback on essays. There were very few comments on my essay and no rationales behind the grade I received. Maybe this is my analytical mind needing order, but I would like to see where I went wrong so that I can improve my writing.

All in all this class met most of my expectations, but was not the great leap that I thought it would be from high school to college. Though it was not as writing intensive as I was used too, I do feel that my insight and understanding of literature and films has increased due to this class.

My thoughts on ENGL 108

Though I was initially dreading the thought of taking English 108, I now realize why it is required of me by Purdue University. I really appreciate both the skills that I acquired, and the methods that were executed in order to instill those qualities. Much to my chagrin, this class has served to stretch me in my writing abilities and the abundance of work has forced me to rise to the occasion. For this I am grateful.
When I began the class, I had never heard of the terms ethos, pathos, and logos, let alone did I know what they meant. I have been able to effectively apply these concepts in order to more effectively express myself and persuade my audience. The class discussion has been an excellent tool to make me more aware of other’s views on important and popular subjects. Also, the peer critique is great, because it allows for a second opinion on my writing before I turn it in to be graded, and it forces me to have something written several days before the deadline. One more thing that I liked about the class is that I became less uptight about my writing assignments. During the first part of the semester, the thought of having to write these blogs used to ruin my weekend. Now, it has become the norm and something I take in stride.
Though this class has taught me a lot, there are a few small things that I would suggest for improvement. First of all, and I don’t know if this is even possible at such a large university, but more one-on-one time with each student discussing how to improve each individual’s writing would have been very effective. Possibly it would have been helpful to devote one or two class periods to having scheduled ten minute sessions with each student. I felt like only problems that were shared by several of us were addressed. Secondly, though our blogs were read, they were never critiqued, thus, I felt like there was no point to writing them, because it did not provide for improvement in my writing style. Also, it would have been extremely helpful for my grades to have been posted online as they are for all of my other classes. Lastly, I felt like the objectives of this class could have been accomplished using less explicit materials. In conclusion, thank you Prof. Severe for all of your much appreciated and excellent efforts!

Nathan Hartman's Postseason Ramblings

I truly enjoyed taking English 108 this semester with you all. This was a great class and one of my favorite's throughout the semester. Richard and the rest of my fellow students made this class the great experience it was though their unique and open perspectives. Studying and analyzing with everyone was my biggest draw to this class. As many of you know by now, there are a lot of classes you do not want to go to, but fortunately, English 108 was just the opposite.

All of the books we read were enjoyable. Could be that I just like reading, but these were really enjoyable books. My favorite overall experience would probably be V for Vendetta, but Brokeback Mountain was definitely attractive in its different theme. I had never seen the film in the past, and never really felt the need to. However, I now consider it one of the better sentimental films I've seen in recent memory.

Richard did a great job in instructing this class. Class discussions were great and he made a good effort to try to hear everyone's opinion and spark interest and debate in the topics. I really enjoyed discussing all of the novels and films with the class. Everyone was very respectful of each others' views and arguments. I also enjoyed discussing with the other students outside of class in addition to the classroom setting.

I want to thank you all for making this a great semester. Have a great Christmas break!

Reflections on English 108

Being an English major, I couldn’t wait to see what my first college English class would be like. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I loved the different novels that we read, and I really enjoyed watching the movies and getting a different perspective.

I also enjoyed how the whole class got involved with everyday discussions. Each person was able to add his own thoughts and ideas, and while some of our discussions did get slightly heated, that just made class all the more exciting.

In high school, I was so used to “Read this book. Now write a paper. Now read this next book. Now write another paper,” that I was so excited to get to get to college and experience what a real English class would be like. And English 108 was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Each assignment was different, and while all the novels had something in common, they each focused on a different main issue that made the class fun. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I looked forward to getting up and getting to English. It has definitely been my favorite class of the semester.

Richard Severe has done an amazing job teaching this class. As an English major, I’ve looked up to him throughout the semester, hoping to learn more than just what we can all get out of reading. And I was extremely impressed with him. I hope to someday take another class taught by him before my time at Purdue is over.

A Semester's Worth of Knowledge

I can’t say that this class exceeded/met/fell short of my expectations, because I didn’t have any expectations. That first blogging assignment? It damn near killed me. I think I must have spent about an hour staring at the computer screen and thinking, “English class will, in all likelihood, massacre my GPA. I expect it to be a painful and drawn out process. Now, how can I word that so that it doesn’t sound so bad?”

Even though I love the English language - and all languages, for that matter (although I did go through a phase were I thought that French sounded strange) - I’ve never gotten much out of my English classes. I usually ended up disliking three fourths of them – from the books, to the assignments, to the so-called classroom discussions – and could easily write a ten page paper full of complaints about any of them. Well, anyway, even though I didn’t like some of the books/movies that we’ve had to read/watch in this class, I actually enjoyed most of the written assignments and all of the classroom discussions. The book/movie reviews in particular were fun; they gave me an excuse to watch a movie and browse the internet. The research paper was kind of fun as well, but, then again, I’m a geek and like to research things. It’s not enough, though, for a class to be fun. It’s more important for it to be educational in some way; that, after all, is what we’re paying for. With that in mind, here are a few of the things that I have learned over the course of this semester:

Halloween is slutty

Virginia Woolf was kind of crazy

Some guys in art/music schools wear skirts

The French are famous for their farces

Schizophrenia can be a pain

The cost of a diamond is high, but not in the way that we would expect

Women can't be priests in the Catholic Church because, according to the Vatican, looks do matter

Society is to blame for Clarissa, Laura, and Virginia’s misery; Ennis and Jack’s failed relationship; the “narrator’s” creating Fight Club; V’s terrorism; and all of the world’s problems in general

In Summary...

English has never been my favorite class nor has it ever been my best. In fact it usually instills a certain sense of fear because unlike math or science classes, English is filled with indefinite answers. From analyzing poetry to interpreting a novel, the entire class is based on feelings and emotions as well as analytical thinking. It is perhaps because of this lack of formulas, principles, and methods that makes English such an intimidating class for me. Secretly, however, I love the kind of free-thinking atmosphere that comes along with this subject and especially this class, English 108.

Overall I enjoyed this class immensely. My previous experiences with English class consisted of reading novels such as Grapes of Wrath and Jane Eyre. Don’t get me wrong I loved both of these novels but what makes this class so unusual is that it focused on more modern literature and the pertinence each of these had on the society in which we live. The literature was not the only difference however between this class and previous English classes. The way in which the subject matter was taught was also an interesting change. Most of the class was taught in Socratic seminar style which allows for a free flow of ideas that is perhaps more helpful than having an instructor simply telling students answers. Instead we taught each other what each story meant both to ourselves and to society. I also liked the blog assignments. They gave everyone a chance to voice their opinions on different aspects of the novels, movies and society. What makes English classes so different from a more, for lack of a better word, "structured" class is the fact that not only do you learn the material being taught, but in the process you also learn a lot about yourself. This class was no different. In summary—this class was great.

Goodbye, English class! Hello...next semester's English class!

To be perfectly honest, I have not been a great student this semester. My grades have been sub-par in most every class, and it's a miracle that I haven't dropped out of at least one by sleeping through it. That being said, English 108 was consistently my favorite class over the course of this semester.

The people involved in the class were smart, and I'm not just saying that to make them feel good. Every time we had a class discussion, they were on top of it, which made them a joy to listen to. The books we read and the movies we watched were (mostly) gems, especially Fight Club and V for Vendetta, two stories I would never think to see being played out in a classroom. The Hours, on the other hand, made me depressed, which is something only a powerful book would be able to do, so I guess it was worth reading.

The teacher of my English 108 class, Professor Severe, seemed to really know what he was doing. He taught the class in a manner that allowed for freeform discussion, even though other parts of the class were governed by strict rules. He seems like a down to earth kind of guy, and his odd fascination with socks only heightens his relationship with his students.

It has been a great year. I've learned a lot, even if my grades don't reflect it. I'd like to leave you all with a gift; something as serious and academic as Professor's Severe's class has been.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkqP65I8Yl0

The End

English has consistently remained one of my favorite classes, and this semester was no different. I enjoyed being in an advanced setting, because it made the discussions more in-depth and interesting. Instead of just skimming the surface of the books and movies, we explored the cores of each piece and connected the works together. Although “Everything is an argument” was the theme of my English class last year, I did not get bored or annoyed with overanalyzing; rather, the subjects continued to be interesting throughout the semester. I especially enjoyed the fact that the type of writing we focused on was useful to all majors. As a creative writing major, I can obviously see how a writing class would be beneficial to me, but it was nice to see students with science or math focuses understand how useful a writing ability is.

Professor Severe definitely met my expectations as far as teaching is concerned. He understood what he wanted to be discussed and how his classroom should be run, while still maintaining a close, open environment where students were not judged for their opinions. It was obvious that his goal was to create better students, not to be everyone’s best friend or to scare anyone away from ever taking another English class.

One of my favorite aspects about the class was the blog assignments. It gave me a chance to see how other classmates interpreted certain passages or themes without having to read through twenty 4-page essays while allowing me to convey my ideas in a brief and informal manner.

English 108

Coming into English 108, I though it would be a typical English class. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise. This class was run unlike any other I had experienced before. We dealt with controversial topics and had class discussion that were certainly out of the norm. It kept the class extremely interesting and unpredictable. Overall, English 108 was a refreshing break from the monotony of my other classes this semester.


One of my favorite things about the class was the discussions. It was always fascinating to see the different views others had on certain topics. The discussions were also successful because they would just flow. We would start talking about one topic of the reading and the conversation would just naturally lead into another aspect of the reading. Also, the fact that the class was advanced aided in the depth of the discussions, which allowed me to get more out of them.

Another aspect of the class that made it appealing was the movies that we watched. In my previous English classes we dealt with only the book version of the text. However, by reading the book and watching the movies I was able to get two perspectives of the text. This allowed me to get more out of each book we read in class.

Over the course of this semester I learned so much in English 108. The unconventional approach to the class not only made it interesting, but it also allowed me to see other aspects of literature. As a result, I feel that I have improved on my writing and learned how to better analyze different texts.

Final Thoughts from Emily

To say the least, this class has definitely been an experience. I’ve learned a lot about English and writing, but our class discussions are what I’ve learned the most from and what I’m going to remember. We’ve discussed everything from suicide and homosexuality to terrorism and civil rights. The class environment was a great environment to converse and debate, and I never felt any hostility or insecurity; everyone was really open and willing to listen to everyone else. I really think I’ve learned a lot about the world around me and all the different ways people view it.

I think the topic of rhetorical writing was a great topic for an English class. It has a practical application that can be use for any major, but it also leaves room to have a lot of interesting topics and themes.

The blogs are a great idea. I love how they are so informal and relaxed. I feel like I can really express my views and opinions without worrying about writing it in a super formal, scholarly way.

The only part I really haven’t enjoyed is the actual writing. I can’t help it; I just don’t like it. I have liked the class though and what we have learned about writing, I just hate applying it. But that’s not your fault.

All in all, I’ve just really enjoyed this class and will recommend it to my friends!

My Thoughts

It is so hard for me to believe the semester is almost over! Honestly, I would have to say that I have really enjoyed this class. I won’t lie about it; I never enjoyed English in high school. To me, it was simply another boring and pointless subject I had to get through before I could go home. However, this class was so much better than that. The reading assignments alone were enjoyable enough for me to appreciate the class as a whole. All of my friends were so jealous of me when I was telling them about my experiences with Brokeback Mountain. That was an entertaining week for Brooklyn.

One thing that I really loved about this class was that I learned so much about things I find interesting. There were times when my roommate nicknamed this class “Psychology 101” because of our continual examinations on topics such as gender roles and homosexuality. However, I truly enjoyed the analysis and discussion we had in class as well as on our blogs. They truly made me think about issues in society and current events in ways that I had never thought about before. I feel like I have learned more about myself and society through this class than I have in all of my other classes combined.

As far as Mr. Severe is concerned, I have nothing but positive feedback. No, I am not trying to suck up; I really think he did an excellent job as our professor for this class. I like how he had a sense of humor and was generally fun to be around but demanded respect at the same time. I thought all of our assignments were interesting and relevant to our discussions and the class as a whole. I usually do not enjoy writing, but I loved how almost all of our writing assignments were assigned in a way in which we could be creative and write about what interests us.

Therefore, on a scale from 1 to 10, this class gets a 9.6.