week- ending November 1

This week in religious studies, we focused on our questions we asked by The Tibetan Book of the Dead. We looked at all the questions everyone submitted, and the groups we were put into, picked the ones which were the most insightful or interesting to share and discuss with the class. I found the question our group got about the "ejection of our conciousness" whenever we are liberated. Does our soul just vanish once we past through to another life and if so, what makes us the same person once we become reincarnated? What remains with us when we are reborn?

In English, we finally (FINALLY! :P) wrapped up Doubt, by watching the movie version. I did have to leave early for a doctor's appointment, but what I saw of the film was very good. It kept my attention a lot more than the play, cinematography has always been one of my interests. It showed a lot more scenes and through Doubt, I've learned to not always go with my first instinct on something. My opinion on whether Father Flynn was guilty or innocent changed repeatedly, and since I didn't see the end of the movie, I still don't know if he is innocent or not.

In Journalism, I just listened to my classmates' turning points. Some of them were heartbreaking, others were uplifting and some were inspiring. I was really inspired by Kara's turning point about travelling to Africa two seperate times. That is really something to be proud of when you're only 18!

This week we are focusing on the mid-term assignment. Although I've already read some of my classmates' journals, I am looking forward to hearing what everyone has learned beyond that.

3 weeks' worth of learning into one neat little package :D

Between assignments, juggling work and school, and catching a mean flu this past week, my learning journals, to put it simply, have gotten neglected. Oh, and losing my binder doesn't help a whole lot as well. I guess I wasn't expecting such a heavy workload, but now it's hitting me hard.
This is three weeks worth of learning journals condensed into one, but I'll try my best to keep it short and sweet :)
In the days I did attend class, I learned that catching up on missed work is not the easiest thing to do. This isn't like high school anymore where you can just cruise through and expect an easy ride. For example, I thought that once we compiled our articles and decided on the big Rwandan genocide one that we were going to move on to something new once that was out of the way. I'll admit that it did get a little redundant, but I feel like each prompt gave me a deeper understanding of the article and why Munyaneza chose to make the actions he made.
I also feel that people's opinions are crucial to grasping a concept. My classmates' input has not only helped me to decide my own opinion, but has also made me realize parts of a story or article that had never even crossed my mind before.
When I went to go see Doubt at the Playhouse, I thought I was going to despise it. The audience was mostly seniors, and that gave me an impression I wouldn't like the play. Once it started, I got kind of into it. Despite getting seats close to the front, I managed to fall asleep for a good 15 minutes. Good thing scripts exist, yay! The rest of the play was wonderful though and I really enjoyed the scenes with lots of emotion in them, like when Father Flynn and Sister A were arguing in the office. I know I am not supposed to talk about acting, but it was truly INCREDIBLE. That is all.
Be back next week.

First Impressions...

The Aquinas program puts a whole new spin on the word "learning". Since we started going to school at a young age, we began learning how to regurgitate information back to the teacher writing numbers and letters on the chalkboard. We may have had the teacher in high school who is a great teacher, but is basing all his knowledge being shared out of a textbook. When I came to university, I thought it was going to be the same thing for four more years. As I was registering for my courses back in August, I read into the Aquinas program and it seemed pretty interesting. It was a break from the standard teaching methods pounded into our brains from an early age.

I started off in the "Great Books for Journalists" aquinas program. After realizing that the Western Philosophy component of the course was going in one ear and out the other, I knew I had to make a few schedule changes. I still wanted to stay in Aquinas, so between the toss-up of Great Books or Truth in Society, I opted for the latter. Even though I have only been to three classes of Truth in Society so far, I have learned that the term "learning" doesn't mean regurgitating what a professor reads to you. I feel like I'm getting a deeper understanding of what is being taught. It is easier to learn in a group of 30 students as opposed to sitting in a large auditorium with 300 other students and a professor pacing back & forth, monotonously droaning into a microphone. I know that I'm not just another six digit number to my professors. I've also learned that to get a deeper meaning, you have to ask questions about your subject. When you're shown an article or watching a news report, we'll observe it, but often do not bother to take a deeper look at what's really going on. I think this class provides you the ability to do that. Overall, I am glad I took the opportunity to be in the Aquinas program.