| Oh, didn't I tell you!? This year's about school too! |
| It was extremely difficult choosing courses this year. As an English major, Lit was one I needed for sure, but there were so many others that I wanted! History, for example, not to mention Philosophy, World Religions, Music and Art Histories... there were just so many! Queens sent me one of many booklets outlining all the courses offered at the ISC, and, for a small school, I was impressed. And maybe because there was a wide selection, (although not as many as there would be at the university's home base), I found it difficult to choose the ones I wanted. My aunt took me to Kingston for the SOAR orientation and, while she was great, she kept introducing new course possibilites: saying things like, "Don't you want to learn Italian Heather?" and "if you take Music History, you can go on these great field trips!!" In the end, I preregistered for the courses that would be most meaningful given this amazing place in which I am so lucky to be studying. I don't fully register until I get to the castle but for now, I'm signing up for English Literature, History, Psychology, Political Science and Art History. I'll keep you posted on how these turn out! |
| Pre-Registering |
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| This phone really works! |
| Book Buying |
| After much thought, I've decided to stay in the courses I've preregistered for... it was a tough decision because I want to take Music History. It sounds, however, like there are not a lot of people in that course so it may be easy to get onto the field study trips. That is, after all, what I wanted with the class to begin with. The other, unfortunate draw back brings me to the topic of this bubble. Ohh.. the wonders of university book buying. After a sheltered high school text book experience I am beginning to see why teachers care so much about the care of their precious books!! The Music History text, for example, is 95 pounds. Did I say pounds? Yes, well that is what I meant! At over 200 canadian dollars I was expecting the book to read itself to me, but no such luck. To be perfectly honest, I am completely lost when it comes to buying books. I'm unsure of exactly what I'll need and so I've decided to wait and see after I've had a small taste of my classes... I think. I'm still unsure. In English Lit we're reading Wurthering Heights and the Taming of the Shrew and there are litrally 8 books for the course. I guess we'll see! |
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| This is the Tea Room and visitor's centre for tourists, who are at the castle quite often. Behind here is the Castle gift shop where I can buy post cards, small school supplies and souveniers. The Castle Gift shop is selling the books but there are so many that the manager is using a board room to display them all! |
| Getting Underway |
| Things are finally beginning to take shape in the course area of this adventure. Much has changed since the last time I updated this page - but nothing critical or life altering! After finding out that the PoliSci instructer this term was not the one I had anticipated I decided to drop Political Science and pick up Philosophy. The reason I originally decided to take Political Science over Philosophy was because of the accomplished prof feature. And while I'm sure the current prof is also outstanding, the draw was gone and so I decided to switch into a course I wanted to take to begin with. Because of this transfer I haven't yet been in a Phil158 course and so I don't know what the instructor is like. When I get to go I'll be taking this course on Tuesdays at 1000 and Wed. at 1930. My English prof is Dr. Andrew Loman and I take English at 1000 on Wed. and Thurs. every week. I had to switch times because the afternoon class was too full and the numbers were over the limit! My Art History course, which is quite small and nice, is taught by Daphne Lawson at 1400 every Mon. and Tues. after lunch. History, by Joy Frith, also takes place on these days at 5:00PM. It looks like the class is going to be very interesting. My last course is Psychology. Ben Thompson, a full time prof at Sussex University, instructs this at 1530PM every Thursday. There a couple people in my classes that are having difficulties addressing our profs. Nearly all of the teachers like to be called by their first name (so Andrew, Joy, Ben) and there are a few students with complexes (as the profs call it) who really can't handle this concept! Click here for more information about my profs. |
| Field Studies |
| Here at the castle, classes run Monday through Thursday. The reason we have shorter weeks than other universities is so that we can take full advantage of our unique location and situation. Every Friday and most Saturdays there are field study trips which run out of Herstmonceux to places like London, Canterbury and even to France. Some studies are for certain classes only and others are open to ALL. These trips, ones that are for everybody, are commonly known as Cultural Study Trips. This means that the trips are not only designed to enhance a particular course, but to the ISC experience as a whole. Our first Cultural Study Trip took place on Friday on our area orienation tour to Brighton and our second was on Saturday to London. Usually these trips have already been paid for in fees to the school, but optional field studies are extra money. |
| Midterm Madness |
| Midterms were a reality check for many people at the castle. We had so much stuff due and so much studying to do that I think everyone was a bit overwhelmed. As much as we were all anticipating this the expectations we have for ourselves at the ISC are insane and competition runs deep. Everyone here was at the top of their class in high school. This is so neat most of the time, and yet it makes the unecessary competition all the more difficult. The hardest thing to get a hold of is realising that all this stress over marks really isn't relevent anymore. Last year we were all working hard to get into this program and now we're not working for anything in particular - we're working for us. Because of this, a lot of people are having a hard time getting over the grades. At the ISC the work is intense, the learning enviroments is incredible and yet peoples marks, inevitably, have gone down. And it's not because we're not smart: Believe you me we can carry on a discussion like nobody else! It is because, as my philosophy prof noted, marks go down 15-20% in first year and that's just how it is. So, while we may discuss the relevence of modernity it today's world over breakfast, deconstructing literature through the eyes of the author at lunch and the future amalgamation of seperate nations into one, cultureless world at supper (yes - this did happen one day), we all have to deal with this new school atmosphere and the grades and courses that go along with it. |
| The Courses - Really |
| I'm taking five courses each sememster while I'm at the ISC. Some of these I like very much and others, well, you get the idea! ENGL110 English Literature: This course is taught by Dr. Andrew Loman and I really enjoy it. We're reading the words off the Norton Anthologies and discussions in class can get pretty intense. I love English, always have, and so this is my favourite course. Andrew is really dedicated to the ISC - he organises a lot of the events and activities. PHIL158 Critical Thinking: As much as I like Dr. Jim Vernon, the professor, I can't say I like this class very much. I have only four more classes left and I can't wait until it's over. The course is full of terms and definitions and taking arguments and breaking them down until there isn't anything left. I like the ideas but [if you know anything about me and math you will get this point] critical thinking is math without the numbers. ARTH116 Art History: Even though I'm not a fan of the architecture part of this course - I love Art History! Daphne Lawson loves what she does and the classes are always fun and interesting. I can't even begin to describe how it feels to be infront of the a painting - discussing that painting. We go on the best field studies in this class and because of them we have the last three monday classes of the sememster dropped off our schedule. PSYC100 Introduction to Psychology: I also enjoy this course - even though a lot of it is biology that I know nothing about! Ben Thompson is a really good prof who loves psychology and cares about what we're learning and whether or no we get it. During one morning session we brought up an issue that he couldn't remember the name of. In the second half he came back with information, slides and video clips to help us understand. HIST125 Modern Western Civilization: This course is virtually the same one I took last year. This is dissapointing to me because, while I loved it the first time, the second time through has been tedious and a little annoying. Dr. Joy Frith is really interested in her field, you can see that, but sometimes I feel as though her ideas about the subject are on a path with no other route. The course focusses entirely on the idea of Modernity as a true theory. While this theory is interesting it can get a bit tiring, especially when there is no room to move away from it. |
| Pigeon Hole Verdicts |
| Returning to the ISC after Christmas was fun - but we all knew that our grades awaited us... I was not surprised by any of my marks - all were perfectly fine too ... It was good to know that, in the end, I can actually do this stuff. It was also a relief, personally, to see how little I cared. By this (I promise there's a point) I mean that it really is sinking in that there are so many more important things than marks and school and all that - as necessary as those are - this is something I only get to do once. Also - I don't have to be the best... this is really settling in and I'm so happy about that! Wow - that was deep Heather! Also - I certainly passed my psych exam, for all you worried famiy members... whee! |
| My second term courses were exactly the same except for some course material was different. Art History moved along in History and we stopped talking critically and began talking morally in Philosophy. Psychology got much more interesting (which isn't saying much - but it was bearable now) and even history improved. It was harder to manage time in 2nd term, though. I'm not really sure why but I believe it had something to do with the increase in travelling and also the close bonds which had tightened over the break. We spent more time at the pub, in eachothers rooms and just as much time procrastinating. Consequences weren't drastic, however, and I managed to keep pretty much the same grades as before. I wasn't worrying as much about them and I still managed to achieve them. The field studies in Paris were great - lots and lots of Art, even in History! I feel like things inproved generally in 2nd term - but maybe that was just my attitude. Even exams weren't too terrible - despite one night of stress and panic! |
| Second Term |