(no subject)

[mari4212]

Lets see. Today I got my classes scheduled for next semester, compared midrash to fandom, and finally started to understand solfedge.

What, you wanted the expanded version?

Okay, lets start with my class schedule and associated subjects. Most of it is just continuing on from this semester, I've got Latin, Physics, and Anatomy. Instead of having a religion class next semester, I get an extra science, Organic Chem. I'm not doing Women's Chorus next semester, considering how many times I've been dizzing out because of it. And someone remind me when I'm signing up for classes next semester that the button to push when you want to keep everything is change, not validate. I also learned that I need to bring my GPA up to a 3.35 to stay in the Direct Entry program. I think I can do it, if I keep Latin, Religion, and Women's Chorus as A's, bring Anatomy up to a B (possible), and bring Physics up to a C (also possible, though difficult). I also need to write a letter to the Interdisciplinary Board describing my goals and how my intended majors will support those goals, and figure out my degree plan. And I found out that I need to take an extra math course, because I need a better grade for my math to count for the pre-PT stuff. Luckily, it doesn't have to be Calculus, I think I can get away with the Math for dummies course.

In Religion class today we were talking about modern midrash, and what we get from it. And people were talking about how sometimes the midrash make us think more about the various stories and characters, and some people were talking about how their understanding of the various stories and characters gets blurred when they read the midrash, because they then re-interpret the biblical accounts in light of the midrash. And I was struck by how much this reminded me of the discussions in various fandoms about canon and fanon. I know for example that my meta sometimes influences how I think about the characters, and I'd be at least slightly jarred if my ideas got jossed by the show.

As for Solfedge. For those of you who don't know, solfedge is a system of naming musical notes. Everyone remember Sound of Music, Do-Re-Mi? That's the solfedge system in practice. Our Chorus director has been forcing us to use it, and I've been struggling with it. And today it started making sense, and I was able to work through the songs in solfedge. Yay.

Comments

[wisdomeagle]

The Honors Thesis That Wasn't pops up everywhere! The midrash-fanfic connection is really for me in a place where I think of them as synonymous, and when I wrote Jesus/Magdalene "midrash" as part of the senior thesis (the one I actually wrote), I called it "fanfic" in my head.

The Honors Thesis That Wasn't was about how fen reading LotR and Sherlock Holmes is the exact same as Christian fundamentalists reading the Bible, and every time it comes up I am sad that I didn't actually write it.

[mari4212.livejournal.com]

That idea's been popping up with me for weeks, and I know I've seen it around other places on lj.

Those both sound really interesting. I'm slightly scared that our research paper that is due at the end of the semester is going to end up being to write a midrash. She hasn't assigned it yet, which is annoying.

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

Yay fandom/religion overlap! (Since we did so steal the term "canon" from religion :) ) I should be more articulate, but I should also be in bed. So yes, much vigorous nodding. Also, sadness that you don't get to take a religion class next semester. Oh, and mad joy that you're not a straight-A student 'cause I maintained over a 3.0 every semester but one but I was so not all about making the A's (I mean, I worked hard, but wasn't gonna freak about it) and was really Zen with the shitty grades I sometimes got ('cause I deserved them due to my taking coursework that was over my head or whatever) and I get kinda weirded when I'm listening to friends who are super straight-A's freaking out about an A- or whatever.

[mari4212.livejournal.com]

I've never been a straight A student. Luckily, my parents cared more about me learning than my actual GPA. I only want it up because it's easier to get into the program direct entry rather than re-applying.

I'm a little nervous about not taking a religion class. I haven't not had a religion class since first grade.

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I went to public schools for K-12 and never had a religion class until my junior year of college and only took I think 4 in total. I definitely regretted not being able to squeeze more of them in as so many of them looked interesting (though the Religion Dept. at Smith can be kinda hippie-dippie, which was frustrating).

(Oh, and being assigned to write a midrash as an assignment totally excites me. One of the fairy tales courses I took we had the option to retell a fairy tale for our final and I was so thrilled.)

[mari4212.livejournal.com]

It hasn't been assigned yet, and I'm not even sure she's leaning in that direction. It would be what I'd do, simply because that would be a good way to see us think through the process, but I haven't heard anything yet. I'd be scared just because I don't have much talent as a writer of fiction, and I'd be afraid of what I'd do.