Back to School
As much as I love winter break (especially after finals), I am ready and excited to be back at Vanderbilt for second semester. After only one semester, Vanderbilt has become a home to me, so, needless to say, I missed it while I was away.
Classes officially started on Monday, January 11th, so we’ve completed our first week and met our new classmates and professors. So far, I have enjoyed all of my classes, and I’m looking forward to going to them for the rest of the semester. This semester, I am taking:
- Foundations of Literary Study— This course is the gateway course for Vanderbilt’s English major. All majors must take this course, as it refines the skills necessary for analyzing and studying pieces of literature. I am taking this course with my English professor from last semester, and it is a small twelve-person class, something I’m really excited about because small class sizes are my favorite. This course will specifically look at love in literature and how it has changed over time, including how it has affected how society views love. We will be reading a wide range of works from the classics to more modern pieces, but I am most excited about the time we will spend on Romantic Poetry.
- Small Group Behavior— Small Group Behavior is the second required course for Human and Organizational Development majors, and all first-year HOD majors are automatically enrolled in this course. We will study how individuals interact in teams, along with the most effective ways to build a team and participate on a team. Additionally, in the discussion section of this course, we will break into teams of seven in order to solve a problem and implement a solution on or around Vanderbilt’s campus. I cannot wait to get started on the project with my team and look forward to applying the knowledge we learn in class to a project that solves a problem.
- German Fairy Tales: From Brother Grimm to Walt Disney— Who wouldn’t want to study German Fairy Tales? This course is one of the more popular ones at Vanderbilt and can be used to fulfill different liberal arts requirements, depending on your major. With Human and Organizational Development as my first major, this course fulfills one of my Humanities requirements. We will analyze different German Fairy Tales, including Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin, and look at the different ways that Disney has changed them and, more importantly, why Disney made such drastic changes.
- Introduction to Statistical Analysis— All HOD majors must also take a statistics course, although there are a few options. Both the School of Arts and Sciences and Peabody College offer a statistics course, and I have decided to take the one in Peabody, as it aligns more with my field of study. I have never taken a statistics course, so I am excited to explore a new area of study.
- Going to School in America— I’m taking this course as part of Peabody College Scholars, a program that I applied for at the end of first semester. Each year, first-year students in Peabody College have the opportunity to apply for the program, and fifteen of the applicants are selected. The program lasts for all four years and includes honors seminars (including this one), a summer stipend, research with faculty, and dinners. This course will look at the way that schools operate in America and include special guests at each meeting. Because I am passionate about education, I am looking forward to all of our future discussions of the books we read.
I cannot wait to see what this semester and these classes have in store. As always, if you have any questions about classes or Vanderbilt in general, please send me an email!
Elizabeth
elizabeth.h.paul@vanderbilt.edu