Hello!
My name is Tolu, I am now in my final year at UBC, and I am studying Political Science particularly, politics, policy, and administration. I am originally from Nigeria, and have lived in Alberta and Ontario. I un(fortunately) do not have the Toronto accent, but I had an absolute blast in Toronto. I moved to Vancouver to go to school here and it is so beautiful! I love the landscape and the general aesthetic of the city! I haven’t yet done the staple vancouverite adventures of willingly climbing Grouse Mountain, going skiing at Whistler, and going to an obscure island, but it is definitely on my list!
I took a class with Jon last semester, and I came back because I really enjoyed reading all of the books. I have always loved reading, but coming to University and having all of my required course readings for my political science class limited the time that I could spend reading texts beyond those about violence, comparitive politics, racism, and just general academic works. Being in the class last semester gave me the perfect excuse to slow down and read great but sometimes strange books. It felt like another way that I could engage in self care, and the discussions were also really exciting to attend. I loved the debates that we would have over the books, and I felt so much like a lawyer during this. I really enjoyed that the class wasn’t lecture style and that I could actively participate with the content. We even burned money! and the drink pairings were also so great.
Long story short–I’m back because I still love reading and I’m looking forward to the new variety of writers, books, and topics that we will engage with this semester. I look forward to any possible debates that we will have, and to reading about everyone’s opinions about the books. I am also really looking forward to how my reading analysis skills will continue to develop through this class. I want to see if I can better identify possible themes and connections between books during this semeseter.
There’s no introductory lecture yet that I can see, but I guess in response to Jon’s introductory video, I would like to say that supporting Manchester United is quite interesting, especially given how badly they have been doing recently.
My question for this week: Is there any such thing as a ‘modern’ theme?
Have a nice weekend everyone!
This is me by the way:
2 replies on “Introducing Myself: Tolu”
Hi Tolu, I’ve noticed most students are much earlier on in their degrees so it’s nice to see a fellow senior.
It sounds like this course gives you something that others weren’t, which I can kinda relate to in my own unique way, as this course will certainly feel like a relief from the the dense technical papers I read in Econ.
Also your little hint about burning money makes me intrigued about what I’m getting myself into this semester, lol. Your question is also quite intriguing. I think modernity is less about brand new ideas or never-before considered topics/themes but instead is about old questions we’ve asked for centuries, such as identity, power and community/belonging, being applied or reframed to our new situations and circumstances such as technology and our social structures.
I’m curious to hear what you think or what others think about this, and I’m also curious to see if my views will change in the coming weeks on this too. I can imagine a few weeks of key readings may change my mind at least slightly. We shall see.
Hello, Tolu
I am glad that you are enjoying living in Vancouver. I also find this city beautiful, and I love all the nature and colours it has. Since you already know Jon’s work and class structure, you will probably enjoy the process. The books we are reading for this course are entertaining, and I love many of the characters you will find in those stories.
Welcome back!
Alex