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St. Cloud State University
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Commentary
Class evokes profound thoughts
By Cassie Swanson
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2003
As I popped the last batch of cookies in the oven yesterday afternoon, I began to dread what the evening had in store for me. Night class, ugh, it just reeks of boredom and to top it off, this class was going to be four and a half hours long.
Leaving the class I could barely contain my excitement as I declared that that was the best class I have had the opportunity to take part in and I was looking forward to next Tuesday's class.
World Cinema is the name of the course, and although I am not a film/mass communications or anything of the sort major, I thought it would be fun and it fulfilled a requirement for a 300-400 level class. We were given a bit of history on a film and its director, we watched that film and then the fireworks began. Discussion from all ends of the room erupted as the professor bounced around encouraging and writing on the board, I even had something intellectual to say.
It was the sort of atmosphere where anything went and you half expected the air to be peppered with coffee grounds and cigarette smoke, a poetry reading inhabiting the window and a book club in the back corner fighting out the differences between romanticism and sentimentalism. Well, at least that is how I imagine it, but back to the subject at hand. I feel as though this sort of interpretive communication and interaction should be happening in all of my classes, when in reality, my college career has only consisted of one other class like this at another college. That is not to say that these classes aren't around, they are just rare jewels waiting to be discovered. In case you were planning to start the search for one of these courses, they tend to be literature and film classes that sound frightening to begin with because of the amount of work involved, but end up being rewarding and satisfying at the same time.
Part of the charm of this class is the enthusiasm exuding from the professor. Even if your interpretation of the film is worlds from his, he has the ability to expand on your ideas and fit them into the overall picture all without making you feel as though you were way off. Students feel like they can share their thoughts without fear of humiliation. It is a true learning environment and that is so important in today's education.
My point, as usual, has completely run away from me. I want to know when this sort of class became attractive to me. When did coloring and construction paper crafts take a back seat to discussion and lecture? The appeal of this intellectual "food" becomes more tempting and I find myself searching for the feast. The amount of time I put into these classes has grown a great deal, not to fluff up my grade point, but to build a general knowledge of a new subject - because I want to.
Chats with my friends have begun to surround world events, car insurance and career opportunities rather than the usual incessant blathering about guys and clothes. It is refreshing to be able to discuss my opinions and actually to have opinions.
College is the time to discover you, but it is also a time to grow up. It is exciting, at least to me, that my conversations have taken this turn, that worldly things have become my passion instead of things you find in a teen magazine. But then again, I may be the only one excited about this, you never know, my friends may be eagerly awaiting the days when I revert back to chatting about more important things like guys and clothes. But until then, I am waiting not so patiently for the next installment of what I have proclaimed as the best class ever.
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