As I sit down to
write my last blog of the semester I thought it would be a good idea to reflect
on the semester. When I first signed up
for the class I had no idea to expect. I
had heard that the class was fun and the teacher had a very interesting way of
teaching so I decided to sign up. I am
so glad that I did. After the first few
classes I knew this was not going to be like any of my other classes, especially
the tax class I have directly before this one.
Dr. Williams’ way of teaching was so much different from all of my other
professors. I am not sure if it is because
my other classes are all business classes, where order and “going by the
syllabus” reign supreme or if it was truly just because Dr. Williams had such a
unique way of teaching. Either way Lit
and Civ II was a pleasure to look forward to each week.
With the stress of
my other classes and tests, papers, and group projects fighting for my
attention, this class never seemed overwhelming. I was never stressed over an assignment or
worried about a due date. The majority
of the essays and papers were all self assessment papers that allowed for me to
reflect on what I was learning. I think
that these papers allowed me to take a step back from my studies and evaluate
how I learn rather than what I learn. I
think it is important to understand this about one’s self because it will make
learning in the future so much easier.
Lit and Civ II has been the only class, while at TCU, that has had me
take a step back and reflect on my learning.
Most of the time I feel pressured to stay up late into the night
memorizing formulas, rules, exceptions to the rules, and other intricacies
about a class that honestly don’t still with me. The majority of the time I learn the rules,
formulas, etc… for one test and forget them soon after. I think that the way Dr. Williams is able to
make it seem like knowing the information, although important, is not the main
goal of learning, allowed me to focus more of learning in a more successful fashion. Instead of just “cramming” and studying
facts, instead I would try and apply situations to the things I was
learning. This application learning was
also a large part of Dr. Williams class through excursions and “active learning.” The canoe trip for example was not only a
blast but also taught us about the water crisis close to home. Seeing the lesser traveled parts of the
trinity allowed me to realize how dirty it actually is. In addition, the in class discussions were
very interesting. Although I did not
engage verbally I was always listening an staying engaged. I think that this is a unique part of his
class. In the majority of my classes I
find it hard to follow the teacher because they often use PowerPoint slides and
do not engage the class. In Lit and Civ
II, however, I never felt “bored” and was always listening during the
discussions. This class was also great
about forcing us to leave our comfort zones and learn in new environments. The speaking partners are a great example of
this. I think that it is safe to say
that without this class I would have no idea who Ricky Leung is and what he
wants to do in life. Not only have I
made a great friend because of this class, I have also learned about a culture
that was completely foreign to me.
Overall I thoroughly
enjoyed this class. I think that the way
it is taught is the way the majority of classes should be taught. Keeping an “open” syllabus and not focusing
as much on structure allowed the class to guide itself through the semester. If we found something that wasn’t on the syllabus
but interested us and provided academic benefit we did not have to be afraid of
seeking it out. I think that this was
the most beneficial part of the whole class.
The way that Dr. Williams let the class guide itself provided for
learning opportunities that would not have been present if this had not been
done. This was my favorite class all
semester and I will be sad when Monday and Wednesday come around and I am not
trying to gain the attention of Dr. Williams’ dog.
