Final Fall

I have been very unmotivated in regards to writing anything online of late. I have, it is true, mustered energy to keep up with the rounds of knowing what everyone else is up to, but I have most definitely not been writing much of my own, be it blogs, forum posts, chat conversations, or even pithy Facebook comments.

On the other hand, between classes starting, seminary engaged at high gear, a Battlestar Galactica marathon weekend, being President of the Philosophy club, and spending more time socialising with my seminary brothers than previously... it's not like I've had all kinds of time either.

Still, even as I withdraw back into the "real life" half of my real life/internet life back-and-forth cycle, I feel I should at least give a rundown of the courses I'm taking this semester, since the bulk of said internet-life consists of other university students who may be curious.

In order, then, I am taking:

ENGLISH 341 "The Augustan Age:"
This is with my favourite English professor at Concordia. He looks like an old, jovial Shakespeare from his neck up, and from his neck down he's dressed exactly like the stereotypical English professor, with the patched elbows on his frumpled tweed jackets and black beret. He's also a good and engaging professor, and I know from the previous two courses with him that his course will be stimulating all year but certainly never greatly difficult.

IT 101: "Introduction to Information Technology:"
After the Earth Sciences course I begrudgingly took in the spring, IT 101 fulfills the second half of my two-course Science requirement for my degree. Originally, I was expecting "Computers for Dummies" to be my deadbeat science credit, picked solely because of the good timeslot and the lack of a lab section, but it is turning out to be a lot of fun. The professor decided that instead of just lecturing, he'd make it fun and so we're essentially having "IT Game Shows" all semester, with our participation and success therein contributing to a participation mark on top of the test scores. A cakewalk.

RELIGION 373: "Christian Ethics:" When making up my schedule last spring, I discovered I had filled up all my major, minor, and degree requirements with a single elective to fill, and it couldn't be an intro level course, so I was limited to a field I'd already taken something in. Since Philosophy and English were maxed out, the path of least resistance was a course in religion where being a Philosopher would make it relatively easy. Ergo, I'm taking a Religion course on Ethics (which is really a Philosophy field). Although taken for these dubious reasons, this is actually looking to be a good class to sit in on. The prof is quiet and a bit staid, but the atmosphere is relaxed and he's had very good luck moderating our rather impassioned discussions thus far. The only downer here is that it has a research paper, and I've been otherwise very successful thus far at avoiding those.

PHIL 400: "Metaphysics:" For everyone else in the classroom, this is "Phil 200," but because I'm taking it as my capstone course, this is a 400-level course for me. So, basically, I do all the same readings and gain from the class lectures and discussions of the other students, but I have weightier and different assignments and this course becomes the centrepiece, or capstone, of my BA degree. This is the fifth course I've had with this Philosophy professor, my favourite at Concordia, and the second I've taken in Metaphysics (the first being the Thomistic course I took at Newman Theological College in the spring at the behest of the seminary). Although I do not expect to breeze through this, my expectation is to really enjoy this course and not to find it particularly overhard.

And, finally:

LATIN 101: "Introductory Latin:"
So far, I've only had one class of this. As an evening class, it didn't start until this week, so I've less to judge it on than the others, but first glance says that apart from being an evening class, it'll be awesome. It's rather small, I know most of the students, the professor is excellent, and I've always loved Latin. Now I actually get to learn some. I am very excited.

If I disappear from now until Christmas, either the above courses, Seminary/Church requirements, or Battlestar Galactica is likely to blame.

And why do I say it's the final fall? Because it is. Today I signed my application to convocate as Bachelor of Arts in the spring.

Scary.