Going Back To School ....

I received a package from SIM University last night, which includes information on the orientation programme, handbook, subject(s), user name and password for the online portal where I can access my class and lesson times and the day(s) I can collect the course materials. So my orientation will be during the afternoon of 14th January, and information on collection of materials will be online on the week of 16th January. Lessons formally start after Chinese New Year.

I must confess, although I am excited about finally going back to school, I am also a little scared. I have not hit any books since my graduation five years back or so. And there is some truth that the older one gets, the worse they get in their studies as their memories will not be as good as those younger.

I will be taking only one subject this year, the foundation module called “An Introduction to the Humanities”. Although it is only one subject, it is broken up into eight components, encompassing the eight disciplines of humanities. I will be taking courses like Art History, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Classical Studies, History, Religious Studies and History of Science and Technology,

These courses are further broken up into seven blocks. Block 1 is on the value of close scrutiny of a work, whether it is a picture, poem, a piece of music or a philosophical argument, which is supposed to equip students with the skills to understand and appreciate these arts; skills that will be called on to apply later in the course.

Block 2 is an examination, through both art history and classical studies, of the Colosseum in Rome, to recognise the elements of classical architecture as one explores the role of the Colosseum in Roman society. Interesting!

Block 3 looks at the ideas and events surrounding the French Revolution. This includes an introduction to history, which will enable the students to distinguish the proper study of the past from mere anecdote.

I will also study the philosopher whose ideas inspired the revolutionaries, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and be able to assess the relevance of his ideas to present-day democracy and the politics of the new South Africa.

There is an art historical introduction to the contrasting styles of Classical and Romantic painting, as exemplified in the work of Jacques-Louis David (who was for a time the ‘official' painter of the revolution) and Caspar David Friedrich.

Religious studies and history of science comprises Block 4, like the nature of religion, details of different religions including a case study of Hinduism, and the problems and insights arising from the study of such a complicated phenomenon.

I will get to examine how science came to define and prioritise its concerns. The problems are vividly illustrated in a case study of the life of the Victorian scientist Alfred Russel Wallace.

Block 5 returns to the creative arts with the study of four very different texts: Shaw's Pygmalion, Euripides' Medea, Strauss' Don Juan and Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea. As well as analysing the form and structure of these works, ideas about convention and tradition, myth and gender will also be examined.

Block 6 concentrates on the decade when the opposition between tradition and innovation was prominent : the 1960s. The history units introduce some of the themes : the rise of the civil rights movement, the growth of the counter-cultures.

The other disciplines in the block - history of science, music, religious studies and art history - also contribute to the discussion of the crucial events and changes, including the rise of feminist science, innovation in both classical and pop music, the rise of 'new religious movements' and the clash of cultures between Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol.

Block 7 brings together various themes of the course, encourages the reflection on what was learnt and helps students look ahead to their choice of future courses.

Whoa!!! More and more interesting! Finally I am studying something which I really really enjoy. The good thing is that this foundation module has no examination, so the grades come from coursework. But the bad thing is that means I cannot afford to botch up any assignment.

There is an average of one assignment per month I think, which is probably enough to kill. I used to rush out three assignments per month, but that was when I was studying full-time and not doing anything else.

Now I fear how I can really cope. It is not easy going back to school after such a long sabbatical, and all the more so since I still need to work full time. Good thing is that I am studying something which I like, and something which I believe I am rather alright in, otherwise I really wonder how I can cope. My goal is to achieve a first-class honours this time, no matter what it takes.