Introduction

Introduction
Hi everyone! I’m Sally, a third year psychology student with a minor in family studies. I am born in Vancouver, BC, and speak Cantonese, English, a bit of Mandarin, as well as a little bit of American Sign Language (I took ASL100 and 101 at UBC, and I highly recommend it!). Outside of school, my hobbies include drawing portraits, reading (primarily “self-help” books), playing the piano, building legos, and watching Studio Ghibli films. I also do volunteering as a first aid first responder, and plan to pursue a career where I can make a difference in other people’s lives and create positive change. I’m not entirely sure on which career I will embark on, as it has definitely changed from when I first started university. That said, I look forward to meeting all of you and reading your responses. Feel free to ask me any questions about my interests or if you would like to know more about me! I’m always open to meeting new people.

Expectation
This is my first literature related course I am taking in university, thus this is my first time being exposed to analyzing the depths of different types of literature (e.g. romantic studies) other than research or academic papers which I have been accustomed to reading in my other courses in undergrad. I expect that in this course, there will be a lot of readings to do. I do hope to get an A or A- in the course, but that will come with the expectation of putting in effort into creating insightful responses, completing all my readings, studying, and asking for help when needed. In addition to the expectations listed above, I would also like to improve on my analytical skills when it comes to interpreting literature, as it can feel quite subjective and tricky sometimes.

Response to the Lecture
I felt a sense of relief after watching Dr. Beasley-Murray’s video on misreading, as someone who resonates with having some extent of anxiety when it comes to approaching literature, specifically in an academic setting. This stems mostly from how I feel as though I did not interpret the literature in depth or in the same manner the professor would see it. It was reassuring to hear that there isn’t necessarily a certain way to read literature, but rather that there is the intent to produce a good misreading or being an adequate reader.

5 thoughts on “Introduction

  1. lauren

    Hi Sally! I felt that same sense of relief because I often overthink and wonder if I’ll be able to find a deeper meaning in the reading and that doesn’t necessarily make someone a good or bad reader. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts this semester!

    Reply
  2. Hailey

    Hi! It’s definitely nice to hear someone else shares the same apprehensive feeling when analyzing literature, it’s so hard to know how to approach, especially when it’s about a novel because it’s so subjective. Hopefully, we’ll get to discuss a book or two together as the semester goes on!

    Reply
  3. Jon

    Welcome to the course, Sally! I hope we can help you with your goal of improving on my analytical skills… and feeling less anxious when faced with a literary text.

    Reply
    1. Jon

      Oops, obviously I mean improving on *your* analytical skills (but if you can also improve mine, that would be great, too! 🙂 ).

      Reply
  4. nulanows

    Hi Sally!

    The ASL courses you took sound very interesting and I am also a psychology major! In regards to the course content, I relate to your anxiety about the level of analysis required for the course and I would like to improve as well.

    Reply

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