Reading Review Week

This class so far has been a really unique course experience in contrast with the rest of my classes taken at OU.  While the work load is on an essential day to day basis, the work is by no means strenuous or stressful.  I rather look forward to doing work and writing for this class.  I think this is because of two main things.  One: the materials for this class are interesting and different than the rest of my ordinary classes.  Two: the writing is more of a creative outlet, the writing assignments allow for expression and the ability to try new things without being penalized.  Essentially I have come to think of this class as a means of stress relief.  I can still accomplish academic goals and learn about new cultures and new writing techniques but the environment is completely stress free. 

The reading diaries have helped to keep me motivated and accountable.  While my reading diaries are not my best or most involved writings for this class they do help me with other components of the course.  They help to organize my thoughts about certain stories units or to note the various stories I want to write my storytelling piece on.  The reading diaries are a very effective way to make sure I am staying on top of my readings and taking them seriously.  I find the stories for this class very enjoyable, the reading diaries work to make sure that I still keep academics in mind while reading the various units that I select every week.

I read a lot for pleasure during the summer and breaks.  Since I take such a heavy course load I don’t have much time for leisure reading during the semesters.  It becomes much harder for me to justify reading endless novels for my personal satisfaction when I have an unyielding amount of research papers, journals, textbooks, and articles flooding in from all of my classes.  As a criminology major I encounter all kinds of interesting research in my classes.  However, once you have read one theory dissertation you have essentially read all of them on that theory and sometimes my classes become repetitive.  This is another element of this course that I really appreciate.  The readings are very similar to the kind of things that would interest me if I had the time to devote to personal reading. 

I love this course and think it is brilliantly designed. 

Quote from Buddha
Image taken from Quotespick.com 

I chose to use this image because I think this quote is extremely true.  I have gone through many changes. Personal changes.  Personal growth. Physical changes.  Weight loss.  Muscle gain.  Emotional strengthening.  I’ve become a senior in college.  I’ve become a rugby player.  I’ve become so many things because I put my mind to it.  Making the decision to be something is half the battle in my mind.