I can only take one of the following classes next semester and I have no idea which one to take. Any recommendations? Which sound most interesting to you?
ANTH 102: Human Origins
"This course focuses on paleoanthropology and is an introduction to the evolutionary development of humans. We will examine biological relationships between humans and other primates, primate behavior and classification, and the fossil evidence for human evolution. Emphasis will be placed on the methods used in the study of prehistoric human biological and cultural development."
ARTS 305: Architecture of the Enlightenment
"History of architecture and architectural theory from emergence of academic theory in France in latter quarter of 17th century through French Revolution will be covered. Emphasis will be given to central importance of French architectural culture for European architecture as a whole. Significant architects and writers from England, Germany, Italy and Portugal will be covered in detail. Among historical themes covered will be integration of applied sciences and archaeology into architectural theory, meteoric rise of bourgeois culture, philosophies of sensation and rationalism, birth of the police, and 'revolutionary architecture.'"
ARTS 345: Roman Art and Architecture
"All roads lead to Rome. Once the ruler of the entire Mediterranean world, Rome remains a central element in our culture consciousness through its legacy of political, cultural and artistic achievements. This course provides an introduction to the art and architecture of Rome and her empire from its Italic beginnings, through the Republic and into the late Imperial period (8th century B.C.-A.D. 400)."
POLT 136: Understanding Political Community
"This is an introductory course in political theory. It involves a study of classical, and classic, texts of political thought by thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Edmund Burke, and John Stuart Mill. Through an examination of their reflections on the nature of political community, it explores the meaning of concepts such as justice, the good life, liberty, toleration, equality, and political obligation."
POLT 216: THe Political Economy of Advanced Capitalism
"This course is an introduction to comparative political economy, broadly defined as the ways in which the triangular relationship between the state, labor, and capital differs from one advanced capitalist country to another. Thie course will examine the political economies of Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, the United States and Japan, paying particular attention to international economic integration, the position of women and minorities, and challenges to the welfare state and trade unions."
I could also potentially try to get into a class that's already full like "History of Greece," "Greek and Roman Mythology," "History of Medicine," "Deductive Logic," "Intro to International Relations," or "Marxist Theory," but I'm thinking that may not be worth the effort given the choices I already have.
It might also be helpful to know the rest of my (tentative) schedule:
HPRF 111: Historical Performance in Context: Music of France
HIST 132: Jewish History from the Spanish Expulsion to the Present
LATN 102: Introduction to Latin Prose (I'm taking accelerated beginning Latin over Winter Term, which is essentially the month of January.)
A private reading in French, hopefully on something Revolution-related.
And then I'll be continuing my voice and harpsichord lessons, unless by some amazing chance I'm able to get into the chorus for The Magic Flute. (I am auditioning, but the probability of my getting in is rather slim, considering I'll be competing not only against students of the College like myself, but the entire voice department in the Conservatory. :/ )
...
In other news, I finally got a copy of Olivier Blanc's Les hommes de Londres: histoire secrète de la Terreur through the interlibrary loan system. This is a book that, despite having been published as recently as 1989, is not for sale *anywhere* on the internet. Literally. Just *try* to find it. Compare this to Simon Schama's travesty of a book, published in the same year, that one would be hard-pressed *not* to find in any given store. Coincidence? I think not. D:< (Olivier Blanc, for those of you who don't know, is a Robespierriste historian ♥.)
...But I haven't actually had any time to read the above book, because my assigned reading never ends. This weekend alone I've finished Walden Two (that is, I read the last 150 pages or so) and started The Dispossessed (ie, I've read 90 pages so far and have another 100 to go) for my Utopian Thought class, read excerpts from Petrarch and Vergerius and Rabelais for my history class, done about 15 pages of grammar exercises for French, tried to figure out what classes I'm taking next semester, e-mailed three professors and copied 20-odd pages of sheet-music from a score that has to be returned today (I'm still not done with it, either).
Now I still have, as I said, another 100 pages to read for Utopian Thought, another 15 pages or so of music to photocopy, a score to return, a French paper to write, and research to do for my paper on May '68 for a mini-course I was foolish enough to actually enroll in when I could have just gone to the lectures. It's not as if I need any more French credits and it's driving my crazy. But I digress.
I suppose I could say the upside is that there are only 4 more weeks in the semester, but that has a downside too: in those four weeks I have to write another history paper, three more French papers, that paper on May '68, and two more papers for Utopian Thought. Not to mention the vast amounts of reading and practicing I'm going to have to do. It never lets up--and this despite the fact that I'm taking only three relatively easy academic courses. Next semester I'm going to have four, and they'll be harder! *shudders*
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