My Developmental psych lab only went for the 1 of the 3 allocated hours today <3 This afforded me several extra hours free time. I used this time to bum about the course guide of the ANU, looking at possible electives I could do. As it stands right now, there will be two mandatory courses I will have to do next semester. This gives me two electives to play with, one of which I will most likely (99%) go for another psych course on offer.
Then this gives me one last free elective, for any course I am elligible for across the uni. First year I took electives in Linguistics, Philosophy and Programming. I'm probably not going to go into Programming, as all those courses depend on me having done it first semester 2nd year, which I didn't. Right now I'm enrolled in another Philosophy (Wittgenstein) - but it's with the same guy I've been taking for Epistemology. And he's ... er... Well, it's good and interesting (sort of) but for the most part, the content isn't conceptually challenging or attention sustaining.
One of the other options was a thing of studying Film as Philosophy, which from the looks of things, involves analysing movies as philosophical texts ... Which would be very interesting. But I can also see it being ridiculously dry and contrived. Perhaps if I could find someone else I knew who was doing it ...
Then I turned to Drama. Mother had suggested I at least look into it, as it's one of my passions, and I should make use of my electives. I looked. And then I vomitted. Fucking disgusting. The only practical acting courses on offer at the ANU are nothing but a thin veil for getting people to be "patients" for medical students. They make it out like it'd be a really hard course - but we all know it's not. There's THREE COURSES OF IT. WHERE THE HELL IS THE ACTUAL ACTING??? Pretending to have symptoms is not acting - you learn nothing to take away and apply elsewhere.
The other option available is a Directing one, which seems mildly interesting, but I can also see it being forced. There's a directing option for English, but that has limited class availability, with preferences for people with majors in the area. ie, not capricious wanks like myself.
Then I stumbled upon the Creative Writing class. People always say that creating writing classes are the death of creativity, and yet I do not get that. Well, there are three of them available, and they seemingly have a progressive order... I'm thinking of seeing if I can jump straight into the "advanced" one. Look at the write-up.
"In this unit, students will write a series of short stories, experimenting with a variety of forms, styles and genres. Through the workshop process, story ideas will be subject to critique, and students will be encouraged to develop their early drafts. Lectures will address theoretical and practical concerns involved in writing fiction, and will examine contemporary short fiction and novels as examples. Close reading of published fiction is intended to inform students' own work. The course will include some consideration of the practical processes involved in publishing stories and longer works."
For some odd reason this doesn't come across as contrived to me at all, unlike what would be popular opinion about these things. I see these, particularly the workshops, as engaging, fun and interesting periods of intense creativity. And perhaps I may be dreaming, fabricating fun times when none are to be found.
Way I see it is that if you made it through the first course without dying or feeling like it drained all that creativity, then the only people left are the really interesting people. What I'm hoping it's not, and I feel that it's not, is a series of lectures on different styles and what metaphors are etc. I hope it's just encouraging you to read different texts, think about the style, the values espouse by the genre, and to replicate it, while placing a nice Shananian spin on things.
I'm hoping that the course convenor is a potentially very engaging (Jeanne or Dee or Mazur <3) type of crazy, out-there teacher. Someone to seriously enjoys reading creative words and can produce it themselves. Someone who cares about her students. I'm hoping that the classes are filled with jovial, like-minded individuals with whom I can communicate and articulate my insane ideas.
I'm also hoping that the people in the classes can become invaluable contacts, people who already are or might be big names. Maybe even, if I'm lucky, to find that perfect collaborator, someone with whom my style (or my comedy! :D) fits well. Sort of like Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, Hamish and Andy, Lano and Woodley, etc. All those creative duos over the years... Maybe I can find of them in this class?
"Workshop" process. That sounds like indepth, highly interactive, personal group work. I would love to do that with intelligent people.
Right now it does seem like I'm overestimating how good it will be. But I think I'll fire off an e-mail to this lady tomorrow or Friday or the weekend, seeing if I can get in. I think she'll want to read some of my writing ... so I'm left at a bit of dilemma at what to send her ... My Ext 2 piece? Maybe some Spiral (obviously with Colby's permission, since I'm a good co-author :)).
