Welcome, class, to the Legacy of the Family Story Blog!
I hope that you all were able to set up your accounts without much problem. The topic for this week to get us started will be created by me. Since it's the first week of class, I just want us all to get to know one another a little better. So, why did you sign up for this class? What do you hope to get out of the class? After our first class and reading the syllabus and getting an idea what's in store for you, what are some things you're excited about? What are some things you want to learn more about? What are you dreading? :)
Finally, what are you hoping to get out the honors program in general? Why are you taking honors? What does honors mean to you?
Okay, let the games begin...
This blog is for the “Legacy of the Family Story" course taught by Kathryn Collison in the University Honors Program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM, USA. It provides an easily accessible, electronic space for 100-level Honors students to discuss texts and ideas, develop critical thinking skills, and practice college level writing. While anyone may read our work, only class members may post.
16 comments:
Well to be honest, the 2 main factors that influenced my decision to take this particular class were the time during which the class takes place along with the fact that it fulfills the humanities requirement for the UNM core. However, that being said, I was also excited, and still am excited for this course, because frankly the idea of 'family', and particularly the undefinable nature of the word itself fascinates me. The family we choose, the family we are born into, the family that comes to us through circumstance, they all affect us in unmeasurable ways. As far as the course is concerned I've always loved reading and I am quite fond of the majority of the books on our reading list, so as is probably obvious, I am very much looking forward to reading these books. That being said, I am slightly nervous about the final paper as well as the presentation, mostly due to my perfectionist nature. I guess i always worry about large assignments!! In general I hope that by taking this class I will have a broader sense of what others define as their own 'families'. As a transfer junior from Boston, I was just recently admitted into both UNM and the Honors Program, I am quite looking forward to taking classes that are both intellectually stimulating as well as classes which encourage the students to think about issues on a broader level. To me the honors program seems to give students who are interested in taking their education to the next level and applying what they've learned to help further the improvement of our community. I am really looking forward to taking these classes as I believe that they will truly help to further my horizons as both a student and a human being. So here's to a good semester!!! :)
As cliché as this may sound, I signed up for this class as another way to challenge myself. I knew from the moment I heard about the Honors Program at UNM, that I wanted to be a part of it. The classes offered in Honors seem much more interesting and involved than some of the other classes offered at UNM, and I think the class will be a nice break from my several science classes—not saying I don’t think the course will be just as challenging! I always used Honors and AP classes as my outlet for channeling my energy and enthusiasm for learning in high school, and I am hoping that Honors can serve as my outlet in college. I was so excited when I went to the bookstore and bought the eight books for this class. I’m sure this is a somewhat unusual reaction! I’m sure I should have seen it as daunting or terrifying! However, I am so happy that I have the opportunity to read again! I just hope I can manage reading all the material and retaining it. I also hope that through this class I will improve my analysis of readings and learn about the different dynamics of families—both good and bad. Understanding families is a fundamental part of understanding an individual because everyone comes from somewhere. It may not be the idealistic nuclear family with a mother and father, but everyone has some sort of relation or support. In contrast to the things I am excited about, I must admit that I am dreading some of the larger essay assignments. I take forever to get started on essays! Although I try to approach everything with a confident attitude, my biggest fear is making mistakes. Especially now that I am in college, I am extremely afraid of messing up, but I’m not going to let my fears hinder me from overcoming another challenge in my life :)
Well, like Tara, the main reason for signing up for this particular class was the time slot available. In all honesty, this class was actually my second choice. However, it had to be my second choice for a reason right? Right! Anyways, I consider myself an extremely family oriented person, and thought it would be interesting to have a class focusing on not only how family can influence a person's life short-term, but in the long run as well. Though by looking at the reading list I knew we wouldn't be dealing with the typical happy go lucky families. (Where's the discussion and disecting of the characters going to go with that???) Basically, I felt this would be a good class to learn about human behavior and the effects family has on it.
Amidst the sea of legacy classes I was allowed to choose from, this class stood out because of all the interesting discussion possibilities I saw. I don't know about the rest of the class, but I could go on and on talking about my family (just as a side note, I have 40 first cousins). The reading list also suggested that we would be digging deeper into the story of the family. I personally am fascinated by all the influences one's family and upbringing in general can have on their life.
As far as the honors program goes, I have to take part in it to keep my scholarship. I hadn't actually put much thought into that fact at first. However, I am glad to be here. This program seems like it will provide a welcome challenge and also open many more opportunities in the future.
I applied to the Honors Program in general because I have always been one to take the more challenging courses (Honors, AP, etc). Also, I think the Honors Program is a good "niche" for me at such a big school. It is a place I can rely on and where I can feel comfortable. Not to mention, the Honors Program offers great benefits like priority registration! The reason I took this particular Honors class is because as I have grown older, I have really learned to appreciate my family and to be grateful for them. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to look at factors pertaining to the familial theme that my family may or may not have. I have to admit, I am a little overwhelmed by all of the separate projects we are going to do. However, I am excited to read the different books because I love to read. To me, honors means pushing myself above and beyond the necessary standards. My goal from the honors program is to enrich my college experience above and beyond the core curriculum!
When I came to Lobo Orientation over the summer, I was fortunate enough to be at one of the honors focused orientation. With all the decisions in the big orange book, I came across this legacy class and liked the readings more than any of the other seminars. I had read some of the books and liked them so much I wanted to read them again. Not knowing exactly what to expect of an honors class besides the general overview from the Lobo and Honors orientations, when we read the syllabus on the first day I was really excited because the structure of the class reminded me of my AP English IV class. Not to say that this class is like a high school class in any way, I really appreciate how everyone wants to be in class and takes things seriously, but I do feel prepared, and I loved that English class so I can't wait for what's in store for this class. I really want to understand the theme of family in each of the books more, because I have read a few of them in past years, but never thoroughly examined how the family aspect contributes to the story.I am somewhat apprehensive about the interview, as well as the group project, but along with that I am not worried about the project the way I typically have been about groups. I think honors is the kind of program I really need to be in because it seems as though college in a general sense is not just for those that want to be here anymore. I'm excited for this course, and I know already it will encourage me to continue in the honors program.
I signed up for this class because I thought it sounded interesting. I liked the idea of seeing which components made up ‘family’ in each of the works because I knew they would all be different and unique and also I knew that they wouldn’t be your typical run-of-the-mill families that we are going to dissect. Through this class I hope to broaden my understanding of the meaning of family, especially because I know not all families are under the same roof in the sense that they are not all supportive and loving as it has been in my experience. Through high school I would occasionally get a brief glance into the webs of other people’s families and the differences sometimes amazed me either because I could not quite comprehend the way a family member would act or because of the great, sometimes identical similarities between my family and theirs.
Now that I’ve been to the first class I’m excited about looking into some more current books such as The Lovely Bones and also seeing what insight others bring to the class. Some things I would like to learn more about are the bonds people feel tied to through blood even if these relationships aren’t healthy for them. I guess some things that I’m dreading are remembering all the due dates and getting things turned in on time as well as writing quality work for a college level class.
Being in the honors program, I’m hoping to get a more intimate connection with students as well as teachers who share my interests and forming friendships and bonds that way. I suppose this relates back to the fact that I’m intrigued about family bonds as well as bonds of friendship and the feelings of kinship. Honors to me is a program that allows people with the same understandings and same level of thinking to come together and share their ideas with each other and in turn helping the each others’ minds and ways of thinking expand and improve. I suppose this would be the reason I’m taking honors, to build friendships with those people and be able to grow in my own way through their help and input as well as add my own opinion to theirs.
So the main reason I chose this honors class is because of the reading list. I love books and it's really important to me to read things that i haven't read before and that I really want to read. I also like the idea of discussing family with other people because I know there are different opinions, but I don't understand them very well. I love my family and I've had a really hard time recently because my mother died and I've almost completely lost close contact with the rest of my immediate family. This course will help put things in perspective for me, hopefully. I've been writing bits and pieces of a book since last April, and I'm really inspired by all the authors we're reading and their writing styles. This course means a lot to me and all the people whom I've already met are really nice and fun. I can't wait to see what happens this year!
Hi, Taylor,
I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry to hear about your mother passing away. Everything else I can think of to say sounds so trite to me right now, but you really are in my thoughts.
Kathryn
Family is a very important thing in everyone's life. And everyone has their ups and downs with it. I am most excited about the discussions we will be having about what it means to have a family and what family we are a part of. And most of all, excited to hear all the stories, good and bad. I am most nervous about how much reading we will be doing. I love books and the reading list, but my reading skills and the ability to read fast are not so hot. Although, I know Honors is going to be a blast for me and is excited to get started.
Also, I mostly joined honors because of the great small classes that help me get my voice out. I love hearing great commentary about our humanity. I've learned so much from listening to students who have been pushed to talk about a passionate subject and it's a great feeling to be able to learn that way. And I have a feeling I'll be learning some great things this year.
Frankly, the primary reason I signed up for this class was because my first choice honors class was closed, but lucky for me this one was still open! The Legacy of the Family Story was my second pick because just by looking at the books we were going to read this semester, I could tell that the class would be interesting. I've already read some of the books before, and hopefully reading them in the context of looking for familial themes will bring out new elements of the books that I haven't noticed before. I'm definitely excited about the in depth discussions I'm sure we'll be having throughout the semester as well as uncovering a more complete definition of what family really is. I'm definitely dreading all the participation that is required though since I'm such an introvert. haha.
In general, I'm hoping for the honors program to challenge me and make me think more than my other classes. To be honest, the Big Reason (yes, it definitely deserves capital letters haha) I signed up for honors was because of priority registration but another reason I applied was because of the small classes because those foster a much better learning environment.
I signed up for this class mainly because of my personal experience with my dysfunctional family and because of the reading list. I was really excited seeing that I had already read some of the books and really wanted to read others. I really hope to get to really understand what "family" is and how other people view it, not just myself. I am really excited for class in general and how it is mainly student run as opposed to a lecture. I really look forward to the projects and all the involvement that will take place. I am, however, dreading some of the assignments because I know at one point or another I will miss one assignment because I forgot to look at the calendar. I am taking honors for a challenge, all my other classes are pretty simple and coming from a college prepatory school I felt like I needed a challenge. I hope to to learn how to manage my time and just get to know more about things I find interest in. Honors, to me, means going that extra step to just feel accomplished. This class will be challenging but I have a feeling that it is one of my better classes. I am really looking forward to this semester :)
Well, just like a few of you said I joined the honors program because I wanted to challenge myself. It seems like a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. I also joined because of the small class sizes, and the perks that come with, priority registration!:) I’m going to be honest this was my second choice of classes, but it seems really interesting to me. I’m really close to my family, and being from Chicago I’m really far away from them. It’s kind of hard, but I’m adjusting. I thought it would be really interesting to hear what others thought about what ‘family’ really is. I’m a bit nervous about the amount of reading I have to do, because when it comes to reading I’m in the same boat as Seemay. However, maybe this class will change that. I’m excited to get started, and really looking forward to all the discussions.
Also, just curious what kind of book are you working on Taylor? I find it really cool that you’re writing one. I’ve always wanted to do that.
As others have mentioned, this particular honors class wasn't my first choice, but now that we have begun I can't wait for the rest of the semester. I suppose the main reason I chose Legacy of the Family Story above the other classes was because of the reading list. There are books on the list that I have already read and loved, and others that I have always wanted to read--now I have the chance not only to read them, but to understand them on a deeper level than if I had read them alone. In addition, family means a great deal to me, whatever I consider "family" to be. I lost my dad suddenly almost four years ago, and some relationships have since been strained. I hope that through this class I get a much more thorough understanding and appreciation of family, and what familial relationships entail.
The more I think about the idea of family, the more it interests me. What is it about someone that makes us consider them a part of our family? I look forward to exploring ideas of technical family as opposed to a much broader sense of the term, as well as reading and re-reading the novels on our list with the theme of family in mind. On the other hand, I am rather nervous about the numerous due dates and amount of work and reading invovled in the class, but I know it will be worth it. A couple of my other classes have 100+ people enrolled in them, so I am definitely looking forward to balancing those out with a much more intimate working environment, as well as other perks involved in being in the Honors program.
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