First Graduate

This post is part of an ongoing series of blog entries by Anjie D (FG3), a freshman at Barnard College writing about her college experiences on the blog Uptown Girl. Here's an excerpt of her latest musings. 

My classes this semester are amazing. Incredible. Tantalizing.

Harlem Renaissance Literature: On the first day I learned everything about slavery - specifically in New York - that I didn't learn in any San Francisco public school. The primary text for the class, an anthology, was written with a feminist perspective.

I love this class, but not the size of its theme common to many of my classes this term. I thought a literature class would be limited to a seminar-sized group of students, yet there are 40-some-odd students in HRL, seated in rows of individual desks, an arrangement not conducive to discussion or general learning (a fact that is backed up by research which I read about for Educational Psychology).

Educational Psychology: Professor Sacks likes small class sizes as much as I do, because she knows the psychology behind class size. For this class I get to experience the NYC public schools for myself, and perhaps write a children's book promoting equity to test out on some students from said schools. And we have a take-home final. Sweet!

Introduction to Economic Reasoning: I am taking this class not only for a better understanding of the world through an economic and financial lens, but more importantly for the insane professor who teaches it. Professor Marcellus Andrews, MEP (Most Entertaining Professor). I love this guy. Today he managed to connect a skunk's spray to a principle in economics.

Introduction to Urban Sociology: I get to hang out in a neighborhood in NYC multiple times, take some notes, and get credit for it. Reading list (titles shortened): Black on the Block, Money Has No Smell, Clean Streets, and Racial Situations, among other things. I'm in social science heaven.

Advanced Language Through Content/Spanish: I'll admit it I'm not entirely sure I will stick with this class. The topic is great (we're studying five Spanish-speaking countries through everything from pop music to literature), the teacher is kind, and the class is the smallest I have this term but I think it's too advanced for me. This is a very bad thing. If I don't want to re-take Intermediate II but do want to continue with my language development, the only option is the class I am in, which is specifically designed to be a bridge course between language learning and Spanish literature classes. It seems like I need a bridge to be ready for the bridge!

Perhaps the next couple class sessions will prove this fear wrong and I will be able to stick with it. However, balancing five classes and an actual life may prove difficult.