Summertime at UT Tyler

We did it! This school year at UT Tyler has finally drawn to an end, and not a moment too soon.  So, now that you are finally not stressing about school, how are you going to spend your summer? Are you going to just sit back and watch the next three months fly by, or are you going to get out and be productive? If you are the considering the latter, then read on! 

Topics Classes at UT Tyler

     A problem I often run into when enrolling for a new semester is a lack of variety with available courses for my major. Since our university has a low-to-medium student population, there are fewer professors for each department, meaning they often have to stack the amount of courses they teach per semester, and they often repeat the courses available to students. However, they will sometimes offer topics classes for individual departments, which always are a great opportunity for students looking for a fun course with an interesting content base.

     Created at the discretion of the professor, topics classes will range in content material, so long as they fit within the overall curriculum for the intended major.  The great thing about topics courses is the content discussed and how interesting it can be.  There have been courses in the past that discuss various fun subjects, such as Batman and his involvement with forensic science, anthropology and Cyborgs, Philosophy and the hit show The Wire, and many others.  These classes often go in-depth into content areas that the professor is very passionate about, either from past work in the area, or something that they wish to delve into further with their students.

    Rhetoric in Video Games: the only time where you can
claim playing Portal is educational.

     At UT Tyler, I have enrolled in three Topics courses, all of which have had very enthralling topic areas.  The first was Rhetoric in Video Games, taught by Dr. Charles Walts in the UT Tyler Department of Communication.  The class intends to discuss the rhetorical viewpoints of video games, a media source that is rapidly growing in relevance in modern society.  For three weeks (it was a Maymester course), we played games such as Portal, Left 4 Dead 2, Auditorium, and several others, creating a fun atmosphere for all students enrolled, even if they were not Communication majors. 

     Another class was Introduction to Global Studies, taught by Dr. Amentahru Wahlrab in the UT Tyler Department of Political Science, a class intended to discuss the spreading influence of Globalization around the world, and the implications that it has for all members within.  Dr. Wahlrab has studied for many years within this subject, which allowed for many in-depth discussions about what globalization is, and how it can affect the world on several levels. 

               

A Chuck Norris movie
in a college class? Duh.

     I am currently enrolled in Rhetoric of Terror and Horror, in the Communication department once again with Dr. Walts, where we discuss the rhetorical implications of domestic and foreign terrorism, and how these implications affect us on a personal and national level.  This class is a lot of fun, as we plan to watch films such as The Delta Force, Team America, The Omen, and others in order to understand the topic further.

               

     

     These are the types of classes that are available to all students at UT Tyler, and they are highly beneficial to the academic progress both undergraduate and graduate students.  Not only does it count for an elective credit for both majors and non-majors in certain fields, but also they are highly specific classes that will delve into a topic that most classes do not.  Since the professors get to choose the topics being discussed, they are more passionate about their topics class than they are for other classes they are required to teach.

     

Studies prove that as college classes increase in size,
educational quality decreases.
Another reason why topics classes are fantastic!

     If you are interested in enrolling in one of these classes, you should act quickly!  They fill up fast during the enrollment process, and they are often intended to have a smaller student count.  The reasoning for this is that most professors want their topics class to be discussion-based, rather than lecture-based, and having a full class discussion is nearly impossible with more than 20-25 students.  If you happen to miss the opportunity to enroll, or the class you seek is not available for the targeted semester, talk to your department head and request that the class be renewed! Often times, the individual departments will not renew a topics class unless they are sure there will be enough students guaranteed to enroll.  

     These classes are well worth your time, because you will never have another opportunity to discuss something you truly enjoy in context of your field of study.  Check it out now!

Morning Classes, Alarm Clocks and Caffeine Overdose

Summer II classes begin tomorrow, July 9th and I'm signed up for Gen Chem II and its lab component. And guess what? It starts at 9am! 
And guess what else? Summer I classes were supposed to finish last week but for Calculus II, it didn't- it's extended for 3 more weeks because of the heavy course! Which means... my Summer I and II classes will clash for 3 weeks. That's 3 hectic, sleepless weeks for me. (Both classes are held Monday through Friday).

The biggest challenge for me is waking up so early in the morning. I don't know how morning people do it. I just don't. Before 11am or before I've had my dose of caffeine, my brain is still usually asleep and I'm usually this cranky monster. I had a 7:30am class last spring and I had to bring two thermoses of coffee to class just to get through it. My classmates joked that one day I would just drop, overdosed on caffeine.

If you're like me and have difficulty getting up in the morning, here are a few pointers that helped me:

Summer Classes

          My creative writing class starts on the 9th (Summer II), and I should really start concerning myself with writing some fiction. This is my first online class, so I'm getting nervous. :/ So, in order to quell my nerves in that special, obsessive way, I give you a list!

• Am I registered for it? Yes, for sure, and the time hasn't moved. 
• Have I paid for it? Sure thing, I paid for that class, because my account shows that I did with no remaining balance.
• Do I even know where it is? I mean, it's online. That's easy. 

Okay, okay. Since I am a senior, I basically have those types of things figured out, and I know the answers to these tough questions, but do you? 

The deadline to pay is July 6th, at 5pm! Don't let the 4th of July distract you, or you'll get dropped! I linked above to most of the places you'd need to visit to get your classes in line for Summer II.

I'm ready to get back to work. That brain break was nice, but I'm ready.

Cancelled Summer I Class: Tragedy Averted

It's Sunday night. I decide to look at my email to see if my Middle Eastern Politics professor has sent anything out before the first day of class. Instead of a welcome message I received a horrifying display that I only remember saying "CLASS CANCELLED". My heart immediately sinks and springs up into my throat just long enough to censor the many expletives I want to share with my computer screen. See, I really need this class to graduate in the fall.

My Summer To-Do List

As you’ll probably begin to notice later on, I like creating lists. A lot of them. For a while I tried writing down my lists in one specific notebook but that never worked because I'd find myself in the middle of lunch with friends, or walking to class making up lists in my mind.

So eventually my lists ended up all over my room, on post-it notes, my calculus notebook, lecture handouts, scribbled haphazardly on my arm and even as text messages sent to myself (and no, this is not some sad act of texting myself; it's my only option when I have no access to pen/paper!).

My most recent big list is my Summer To-Do. I would love to fly back home for summer but I only have about a week of vacation before my summer classes begin and I don't think paying $2000 for air fare only to be home for a week is worth it (home is 8000 miles away, but more on this later).

So if you’re like me; home is not within driving distance and you’re grounded in Tyler for the whole of summer, make a list! Think of anything and everything you want to accomplish this summer. It definitely beats just moping around and whining about how you’re “stuck here with nothing to do” because trust me, if you look hard enough, there are actually lots to do!

Here’s my list.