![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Let me tell you about my scheduling drama for next semester. It is a long and epic tale.
I am bearing in on the last couple of courses I'll need to take to fill out my majors, which also means that I have no idea where I am on the grand scale of when the fuck am I supposed to graduate. (I think I might be on schedule to graduate a semester early, but I'm not sure.) This means I have to think about things like taking a capstone, which is a seminar-style class you take as a junior or a senior in your major. I also decided I like taking seminars, and there are two classics seminars being offered next semester that I wanted to take, Monuments of Ancient Rome and War and Power in Ancient Greece. I also wanted to take Shakespeare II (Jacobean Shakespeare) and Latin 1020, and then a lecture on the Etruscans and Early Rome, and a tutorial on Medieval Religious Culture. I mentioned the capstone earlier; the majority of my MEMS classes have been in early modern English lit, and coincidentally my Shakespeare and Spenser professor is teaching an English capstone on Early Modern Gender Debates. Cool, yes?
Registration time. For one thing, I can't register right on the dot because I have class then and my laptop isn't enabled to work with the Tulane wireless, I have no idea why. When I get out of class and go to register, I realize that there are three, count 'em three, classes I cannot register for. Shakespeare II, Latin, and the tutorial (although the tutorial I already knew about); I wasn't thinking about the capstone then.
Now, Tulane has a core requirement of taking a class that fits into "Perspectives on the Western Tradition" or some such thing. (We also have a core on Perspectives Outside the Western Tradition, don't get too worried that we're overly western-oriented.) Apparently, the university asked the English Department to make some of the upper-level English courses count for that, and the English Department said okay, so long as the didn't get a flood of non-majors, since, you know, the 400-level classes are mostly meant for majors. In its infinite wisdom, Tulane made three spots available in the class for non-majors and twenty-seven spots available for majors and minors.
I am not an English major. I am, however, a MEMS major, and Shakespeare II is a MEMS class. However, I still couldn't register for it, but the professor said that he would let me in, so I will cross my fingers and hope. (Last year, the English Department, in its infinite wisdom, closed the waitlist while rising seniors and juniors were registering, then opened it while rising sophomores and freshmen were registering. Which means it was underclassmen that were first on the waitlist, not upperclassmen. IDIOTS.)
I couldn't register for Latin 1020 because I hadn't taken Latin 1010 at Tulane and thus didn't meet the language pre-reqs; I have a sinking feeling the credit transfer paperwork didn't go through (Advising probably lost it). I am meeting with my academic advisor next week to figure that out, and I may have to go in and hope that the Classics Department can sort that out, or just show up next semester and hope that the professor can add me manually.
The tutorial is register with the department, a.k.a. go in and have the History secretary do it manually. HOWEVER, the professor has more students interested in the class than he has room for (I think he wants to do four sessions of three students each), which means he's going to have to cut people. I am really, really hoping that because I am a MEMS major and an upperclassman that I am going to get in, but I am wracked with uncertainty because during the meeting yesterday, under "Other relevant information" on the form he handed us, I left it blank because I couldn't think of any other relevant information. I mean, you got my name, my year, my majors, all the other MEMS classes I've ever taken, the times next semester I may or may not be available, what more is there really to say? Clearly I really want to take the class! Anyway. WHAT IF HE THINKS I DON'T CARE OMG. (However, if I don't get into the class, I shall probably just take the lecture in Ancient Christianity; I'm looking at taking three seminars at the moment, which is sort of stupid, but, well.)
Now. Of the two classics seminars, Monuments of Ancient Rome is slightly more relevant to my field, but on the other hand, my thing is military history, which means that I am ALL OVER War and Power in Ancient Greece. However, Monuments is at the same time as the English capstone, so if I took that, I couldn't take Monuments. I am not sure that I should take a capstone right now; I'm trying to get a meeting with my MEMS advisor to figure out if that's a smart thing to do. But the bulk of my MEMS classes have been in Early Modern English lit, and there's no way to know if there's going to be another capstone in that subject offered next semester. (I mean, I've also taken a bunch of medieval history classes, but that kind of covers a wide geographical and chronological expanse, to say the least, you know? And again, no way to know if History's going to offer a MEMS capstone next semester, especially since I know that one professor in the department is going on sabbatical and another one currently is on sabbatical and/or leave (although I see her on campus all the time, so who knows). I mean, if Pollack is going to be here next semester and offer a medieval history seminar, sure! But Harl isn't going to be, and I've never taken Luongo or Boyden before.) So it would make the most sense to take my MEMS capstone in English lit.
On the other hand, I could just not take a capstone, and then have my honors thesis count for that instead. But I want to do my honors thesis in Classics, not MEMS, and the university is sort of vague on whether or not you have to do a capstone in each major. (Sometimes it says yes, sometimes no; it might depend on the majors.) I mean, I was thinking I'd do my honors thesis in such a way that it encapsulated both majors, which is possible to do for Classics and MEMS; I might have tried to do something about the Byzantines or about the conversion of Europe or the Roman military convention or something. But I have no idea, right now, and I wouldn't start my honors thesis until next fall, or possibly start the research next summer.
Anyway, my schedule for next semester, a mess; I'm signed up for things I probably won't take just because I want something on there in case nothing goes through. I also need to take my second-tier public service requirement sometime in the next year; the class I wanted to do it with filled up before I registered, probably with graduating seniors who realized in a fit of panic that if they don't do their second-tier service they won't graduate. Hopefully the same class will be offered in the fall, and HISU usually has some options, if not; Poli Sci and Philosophy had some options, but I looked at the classes and the classes themselves were full of stuff that is ninety percent certain to fuck me up emotionally. (Politics. I can't do modern politics, it makes me cry.) With any luck, my schedule for Fall 2011 should be laid-back so I can concentrate on my honors thesis.
But right now, my schedule for Spring 2011 is a MESS. I need to go and find out if my transfer credits from this summer went through, and where I am on the graduation scale, and what I have to do for my majors and for grad school. I'm pretty sure I want to teach history, but the classics PhD would be more flexible; on the other hand, I probably have a much better chance of getting into a history grad program than I do a classics one because of the Language Problem.
It would help if I knew whether or not I had gotten into the tutorial. *crosses fingers*
I am bearing in on the last couple of courses I'll need to take to fill out my majors, which also means that I have no idea where I am on the grand scale of when the fuck am I supposed to graduate. (I think I might be on schedule to graduate a semester early, but I'm not sure.) This means I have to think about things like taking a capstone, which is a seminar-style class you take as a junior or a senior in your major. I also decided I like taking seminars, and there are two classics seminars being offered next semester that I wanted to take, Monuments of Ancient Rome and War and Power in Ancient Greece. I also wanted to take Shakespeare II (Jacobean Shakespeare) and Latin 1020, and then a lecture on the Etruscans and Early Rome, and a tutorial on Medieval Religious Culture. I mentioned the capstone earlier; the majority of my MEMS classes have been in early modern English lit, and coincidentally my Shakespeare and Spenser professor is teaching an English capstone on Early Modern Gender Debates. Cool, yes?
Registration time. For one thing, I can't register right on the dot because I have class then and my laptop isn't enabled to work with the Tulane wireless, I have no idea why. When I get out of class and go to register, I realize that there are three, count 'em three, classes I cannot register for. Shakespeare II, Latin, and the tutorial (although the tutorial I already knew about); I wasn't thinking about the capstone then.
Now, Tulane has a core requirement of taking a class that fits into "Perspectives on the Western Tradition" or some such thing. (We also have a core on Perspectives Outside the Western Tradition, don't get too worried that we're overly western-oriented.) Apparently, the university asked the English Department to make some of the upper-level English courses count for that, and the English Department said okay, so long as the didn't get a flood of non-majors, since, you know, the 400-level classes are mostly meant for majors. In its infinite wisdom, Tulane made three spots available in the class for non-majors and twenty-seven spots available for majors and minors.
I am not an English major. I am, however, a MEMS major, and Shakespeare II is a MEMS class. However, I still couldn't register for it, but the professor said that he would let me in, so I will cross my fingers and hope. (Last year, the English Department, in its infinite wisdom, closed the waitlist while rising seniors and juniors were registering, then opened it while rising sophomores and freshmen were registering. Which means it was underclassmen that were first on the waitlist, not upperclassmen. IDIOTS.)
I couldn't register for Latin 1020 because I hadn't taken Latin 1010 at Tulane and thus didn't meet the language pre-reqs; I have a sinking feeling the credit transfer paperwork didn't go through (Advising probably lost it). I am meeting with my academic advisor next week to figure that out, and I may have to go in and hope that the Classics Department can sort that out, or just show up next semester and hope that the professor can add me manually.
The tutorial is register with the department, a.k.a. go in and have the History secretary do it manually. HOWEVER, the professor has more students interested in the class than he has room for (I think he wants to do four sessions of three students each), which means he's going to have to cut people. I am really, really hoping that because I am a MEMS major and an upperclassman that I am going to get in, but I am wracked with uncertainty because during the meeting yesterday, under "Other relevant information" on the form he handed us, I left it blank because I couldn't think of any other relevant information. I mean, you got my name, my year, my majors, all the other MEMS classes I've ever taken, the times next semester I may or may not be available, what more is there really to say? Clearly I really want to take the class! Anyway. WHAT IF HE THINKS I DON'T CARE OMG. (However, if I don't get into the class, I shall probably just take the lecture in Ancient Christianity; I'm looking at taking three seminars at the moment, which is sort of stupid, but, well.)
Now. Of the two classics seminars, Monuments of Ancient Rome is slightly more relevant to my field, but on the other hand, my thing is military history, which means that I am ALL OVER War and Power in Ancient Greece. However, Monuments is at the same time as the English capstone, so if I took that, I couldn't take Monuments. I am not sure that I should take a capstone right now; I'm trying to get a meeting with my MEMS advisor to figure out if that's a smart thing to do. But the bulk of my MEMS classes have been in Early Modern English lit, and there's no way to know if there's going to be another capstone in that subject offered next semester. (I mean, I've also taken a bunch of medieval history classes, but that kind of covers a wide geographical and chronological expanse, to say the least, you know? And again, no way to know if History's going to offer a MEMS capstone next semester, especially since I know that one professor in the department is going on sabbatical and another one currently is on sabbatical and/or leave (although I see her on campus all the time, so who knows). I mean, if Pollack is going to be here next semester and offer a medieval history seminar, sure! But Harl isn't going to be, and I've never taken Luongo or Boyden before.) So it would make the most sense to take my MEMS capstone in English lit.
On the other hand, I could just not take a capstone, and then have my honors thesis count for that instead. But I want to do my honors thesis in Classics, not MEMS, and the university is sort of vague on whether or not you have to do a capstone in each major. (Sometimes it says yes, sometimes no; it might depend on the majors.) I mean, I was thinking I'd do my honors thesis in such a way that it encapsulated both majors, which is possible to do for Classics and MEMS; I might have tried to do something about the Byzantines or about the conversion of Europe or the Roman military convention or something. But I have no idea, right now, and I wouldn't start my honors thesis until next fall, or possibly start the research next summer.
Anyway, my schedule for next semester, a mess; I'm signed up for things I probably won't take just because I want something on there in case nothing goes through. I also need to take my second-tier public service requirement sometime in the next year; the class I wanted to do it with filled up before I registered, probably with graduating seniors who realized in a fit of panic that if they don't do their second-tier service they won't graduate. Hopefully the same class will be offered in the fall, and HISU usually has some options, if not; Poli Sci and Philosophy had some options, but I looked at the classes and the classes themselves were full of stuff that is ninety percent certain to fuck me up emotionally. (Politics. I can't do modern politics, it makes me cry.) With any luck, my schedule for Fall 2011 should be laid-back so I can concentrate on my honors thesis.
But right now, my schedule for Spring 2011 is a MESS. I need to go and find out if my transfer credits from this summer went through, and where I am on the graduation scale, and what I have to do for my majors and for grad school. I'm pretty sure I want to teach history, but the classics PhD would be more flexible; on the other hand, I probably have a much better chance of getting into a history grad program than I do a classics one because of the Language Problem.
It would help if I knew whether or not I had gotten into the tutorial. *crosses fingers*