I'm taking a Bolshevik Revolution course right now...

[bmags]

Studying for the midterm, the pace of summer classes is absurd. Annoying enough, I thought with the limited amount of hours (2/dayx5/weekx4) would lead to us to jumping right in and covering really intensely the revolution. But, the professor lets us know every ten minutes that he attended Cambridge, is incredibly long-winded, actually uses penultimate and antepenultimate...ugh, and spent the first week going through an overview of all of Russian history.

 

Now, the funny part, was I thought there was a method to his madness, I thought there would be tendencies of an inevitability in Russia's movement to Communism. But, besides that the nobles were used to complete autocratic control before hand in their autocracy, especially with Peter the Great, there really wasn't. I'd never realized what a highjack the Bolshevik revolution was.

 

And so, I've always found it funny as we go through the different history levels of our education, how you realize the incredibly shallow versions of history you get as you move up can sometimes be be so limited to the point of being false. Stupid childhood myths told as important descriptive facts. Now, granted, the impression of the Soviet Union and the Oct. Revolution I'd gotten was usually framed in U.S. history, centered around World War I. So I don't know, it's just funny to me how off it was.

 

Interesting class.

[Soxy]

Unrelated to actual thread topic. You think of the pace of a summer class is grueling--try prepping and teaching it. On par with waterboarding.

[kapkomet]

Unrelated to actual thread topic. You think of the pace of a summer class is grueling--try prepping and teaching it. On par with waterboarding.

Because it's so short?

 

[bmags]

Unrelated to actual thread topic. You think of the pace of a summer class is grueling--try prepping and teaching it. On par with waterboarding.

 

Yeah, I'd imagine. I heard you still only get less than 75% accomplished of a normal course too, right? of summer classes I've taken, they usually bank on a lot of reading and in class, it's high participation, because 2 hours we get restless.

 

kicked ass on the midterm btw. Chose to cover Witte's economic policies, ftw

Edited July 17, 2009 by bmags

[StrangeSox]

Studying for the midterm, the pace of summer classes is absurd. Annoying enough, I thought with the limited amount of hours (2/dayx5/weekx4) would lead to us to jumping right in and covering really intensely the revolution. But, the professor lets us know every ten minutes that he attended Cambridge, is incredibly long-winded, actually uses penultimate and antepenultimate...ugh, and spent the first week going through an overview of all of Russian history.

 

I'm taking a summer online course. My midterm is next week and my final project is due a week later.

 

Now, the funny part, was I thought there was a method to his madness, I thought there would be tendencies of an inevitability in Russia's movement to Communism. But, besides that the nobles were used to complete autocratic control before hand in their autocracy, especially with Peter the Great, there really wasn't. I'd never realized what a highjack the Bolshevik revolution was.

 

And so, I've always found it funny as we go through the different history levels of our education, how you realize the incredibly shallow versions of history you get as you move up can sometimes be be so limited to the point of being false. Stupid childhood myths told as important descriptive facts. Now, granted, the impression of the Soviet Union and the Oct. Revolution I'd gotten was usually framed in U.S. history, centered around World War I. So I don't know, it's just funny to me how off it was.

 

Interesting class.

 

Agreed 100%. And its not just in history.

 

[Soxy]

Because it's so short?

Basically. I would say each 100 minute lecture (length of my class) takes me about 8 hours of prep work. I do that 5 days a week. Plus I have to make up and grade a test a week in addition to re-reading their textbook immediately before the lecture. Reviewing sources. I also have them do little papers (to make it feel more like a real class)--so that's extra grading.

 

I really want them to learn all the material--but it is nigh impossible. It doesn't help that I'm doing General Psych--where it's crazy.

 

So far I have (after the first day) lectured at least 90 minutes each day. Everday--there's no time for discussion, which I love leading. Lecturing and staying interesting for that long is so rough! I'm hoarse by the end and I still always feel rushed at the end. And it's so much more important to budget your time wisely.

 

Bmags, I think I'm above the 75% mark--probably closer to 90% of what I want to cover. But I wish I could get that extra 10%. I hate to feel like I'm not giving them a good survey. Blerg! It's hard work! (But I love it!)

[southsider2k5]

Studying for the midterm, the pace of summer classes is absurd. Annoying enough, I thought with the limited amount of hours (2/dayx5/weekx4) would lead to us to jumping right in and covering really intensely the revolution. But, the professor lets us know every ten minutes that he attended Cambridge, is incredibly long-winded, actually uses penultimate and antepenultimate...ugh, and spent the first week going through an overview of all of Russian history.

 

Now, the funny part, was I thought there was a method to his madness, I thought there would be tendencies of an inevitability in Russia's movement to Communism. But, besides that the nobles were used to complete autocratic control before hand in their autocracy, especially with Peter the Great, there really wasn't. I'd never realized what a highjack the Bolshevik revolution was.

 

And so, I've always found it funny as we go through the different history levels of our education, how you realize the incredibly shallow versions of history you get as you move up can sometimes be be so limited to the point of being false. Stupid childhood myths told as important descriptive facts. Now, granted, the impression of the Soviet Union and the Oct. Revolution I'd gotten was usually framed in U.S. history, centered around World War I. So I don't know, it's just funny to me how off it was.

 

Interesting class.

 

I had an incredible history prof in college who taught some of the most interesting classes. He was actually versed in Russian, and taught classes on that and SE Asia. The guy knew his stuff so well he edited college textbooks. It was one of the most incredible courses I ever took.

[kapkomet]

I had an incredible history prof in college who taught some of the most interesting classes. He was actually versed in Russian, and taught classes on that and SE Asia. The guy knew his stuff so well he edited college textbooks. It was one of the most incredible courses I ever took.

What always amazed me about that same prof, is he could tell the history by story telling, make it totally relevant, and never had one single note - he lectured entirely from his memory and never missed a point. Since he lived in these countries for extended periods of time, it was like getting the history from their viewpoint. That's always awesome.

[southsider2k5]

What always amazed me about that same prof, is he could tell the history by story telling, make it totally relevant, and never had one single note - he lectured entirely from his memory and never missed a point. Since he lived in these countries for extended periods of time, it was like getting the history from their viewpoint. That's always awesome.

 

It really taught me to study history in a totally different manner. It really became more than just facts and dates after that.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

I had an incredible history prof in college who taught some of the most interesting classes. He was actually versed in Russian, and taught classes on that and SE Asia. The guy knew his stuff so well he edited college textbooks. It was one of the most incredible courses I ever took.

 

 

I had a teacher who was like that. Very funny and knew a ton. She called herself a "medeval sexologist" because her doctoral thesis was on that subject. She knew everything about the middle ages. She could actually speak and write Anglo-Saxon which I thought was very cool. She was going to teach it as a class but not enough people signed up, which was upsetting b/c I was gonna take it as a pass/fail just for fun my last year. I had her for several classes. She made classes interesting. I still remember a lot of random facts she passed along to us, such as in Viking society wives could petition for divorce for three reasons and only these reasons: Caught husband with another woman in the house and in their bed; impotence; bad breath. The last one always makes me laugh.

[lostfan]

It really taught me to study history in a totally different manner. It really became more than just facts and dates after that.

Yeah, me too. Actually most of the stuff I know about world history to the point where I can actually lecture on it, I didn't learn in school, I either learned it in college or learned it all on my own.

 

You know, I never made the connection that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were in Iraq until I actually saw the Tigris river, and a light bulb went off in my head. I was like damn, you'd think at least one of my books or my teachers would've gone over how the Middle East came to be? Also it's helped me realize that the world didn't revolve around the United States until very, very recently. I tend to write in the U.S. in the 3rd person because it makes it easier to be objective about things that happen and not "think like an American."

[Heads22]

I took a year's worth of Russian history last year. The Russian history guy at Iowa State f***ing rocks. I have oodles of typed notes if you're interested, though my class was more of a survey.

 

And yes, the Revolution was kinda out of nowhere.

[witesoxfan]

Yeah, I'd imagine. I heard you still only get less than 75% accomplished of a normal course too, right? of summer classes I've taken, they usually bank on a lot of reading and in class, it's high participation, because 2 hours we get restless.

 

kicked ass on the midterm btw. Chose to cover Witte's economic policies, ftw

 

I believe you spelled my name wrong

[NorthSideSox72]

I took a year's worth of Russian history last year. The Russian history guy at Iowa State f***ing rocks. I have oodles of typed notes if you're interested, though my class was more of a survey.

 

And yes, the Revolution was kinda out of nowhere.

Is he the same guy who teaches Russian as a language? I took that at ISU, if its the same guy, I think his name was Beynin or Beysden or something like that. The dude could speak 8 languages and was clearly an ex-spook.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I believe you spelled my name wrong

And what are your economic policies, Dr. Wite?

 

[Heads22]

Is he the same guy who teaches Russian as a language? I took that at ISU, if its the same guy, I think his name was Beynin or Beysden or something like that. The dude could speak 8 languages and was clearly an ex-spook.

 

Nope, Andrews.

[witesoxfan]

And what are your economic policies, Dr. Wite?

 

Give me all the money!

 

I was actually just drunk and found that too awesome how similar that was to my name. I actually believe in a very conservative economic policy, letting the nature of free market economics to balance itself out over time. I understand the role of government in economics, but I'd much prefer that the government to be a moderator rather than the instigator, if you understand what I am getting at, which is part of the reason that I have not cared entirely for the bailout packages that companies have been receiving. At the same time, you can't just simply allow the banking industry as a whole to go fail on you...that wouldn't be good in the least.

 

I'm probably not quite as profound as Witte, eh? That's what I get for only having one 't' in my name.