Well, this is it, the end of the line but the beginning of more journeys through novel reading and such. Although I dropped the ball with this course I still had a memorable experience and learned so many things with novel reading. More importantly, it gave me a newfound love for reading, and authors like Bolano, Cercas, Agualusa, and Fuentes really got me to be “romantic” with novels. Even though I wasn’t fully present physically and mentally most of the time, reading the books was always euphoric and I will definitely read all the other books that I did not choose throughout the summer.
I really didn’t know what to expect with this course, and I came in with no expectations but I was really wowed by the content and how deep we went into each and every single book. This entire class was very meaningful as we got to talk about war, trauma, escape, and culture, and unravel them through word clouds, music, quotes, and discussion. History can always be found through Google searches and Wikipedia articles, but truly understanding firsthand and getting into the nitty-gritty really involves some creative literature in which romance studies have taught me.
The grading system was very unique and new and It really eased my consciousness knowing that I can honestly focus on the learning and enjoying part without having to constantly worry about being perfect and going on those Redbull runs just to get a measly A+++. However, I was a victim of being complacent and I did take it for granted at times which severely cost me, but it is what it is at the end of the day.
Old Gringo has to be my favorite read as I’m just a sucker for a person’s last stand type beat. This novel really reminded of movie Logan, in which old man wolverine was in his last stand as he’s been through hell in his life and he keeps on fighting and dies on his own terms just like the main character in the Old Gringo.
Overall, I am truly excited to unravel more novels throughout my lifetime and pick out themes, compare them to other books, and to immerse myself with the truth, the fiction, and the meaning behind each novel.
My final question of the semester is did you thrive with this new grading system? Should it be implemented more so we can further emphasise on learning and understanding the course as a whole or is it still all about the GPA?
Live Long and Prosper,
Xyrus Ramos Aparri
4 Comments
Same! I loved the variety of themes explored in this course, and I’m glad to have done that through reading and discussing the novels!
Great Post!
To answer your last question, I definitely thrived with the grading system. It eased my conscious too, and strangely encouraged me to put my best work forward. Reverse psychology, perhaps…
Hey Xyrus! I just have to say that the first thing that came to mind when I started reading your concluding post was that line from Bojack Horsemen when he’s talking about the drip finally stops; super meta lol, and I apologize if you don’t get the reference. ANYWAYS!! I’ve been thinking a lot about the grading system, and I found myself loving it, but at times questioning it too. I found it really nice to be able to choose what we got to learn, which could be super helpful for students trying to balance other courses, their grades, and lives in general. On the other hand, I was questioned about it by a friend who said ‘oh well if the final grade is already determined, then do people actually put in meaningful effort to understand the content? How can you ensure that people are truly learning and not mindlessly zooming through the course content?” Those are some considerations I’ve been thinking about, but for the most part I honestly think that its a really cool system, and would be pretty content with seeing it implemented in more courses.
What is this a crossover episode? I loved watching Bojack! glad to see a fellow fan !!
But yea great points on the grading system it def is a win for me tho, and would be nice for it to be implemented for future profs!