Week 15 Review

Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling

Since the thing I enjoyed the most this semester was the storytelling, I thought I'd post this from this week's announcements.

Week 15 Famous Last Words

These really are the Last Words, since this is basically the end of this course. I’m really relieved that this course is almost over, because this semester has been overwhelmingly exhaustive in all areas. After finals, I should have about three days to finally relax. Then I will be moving on to other things. Overall, this week I most enjoyed getting to read the projects and porfolios from the Myth-Folklore class. From reading their posts and such, I think that I would have preferred that class over this one. However, Mythology was the first course I ever took in college, so I’ve already completed that requirement by about five years. 

In the scope of my other courses, I have a ten minute presentation, one two page paper (easy), and three five-page papers due by Friday. It’s a bit of a mountain and I might not make it, because, let’s face it, after five years+ of undergrad, my brain is about to faint. 

Outside of school, I really do not have anything significant occurring in my life, because usually, school dominates my life. Christmastime is approaching, which means it’s time for me to turn into the annual scrooge. I dislike pretty much everything about Christmas, and most people think that I’m a pretty awful human being because of this, but I’ve basically grown to accept it. 

I’m also growing a little bitter about the length of this post. Just out of curiosity, I decided to see how much I’ve writing is expected for this class. I estimated that between both reading diaries, storytelling,  blog commenting, project feedback, and portfolio (shortest writing expectation), each week represents about 1500-2000 words written. This is the equivalent of 6-8, 12pt font, double spaced typed pages. If you factor in the extra credit, you could add up to an additional 1000 words, or 4 pages easily. Seeing this perspective suddenly makes me glad that I'm not in grad school yet.

Done.

Week 15 Tech Tip - Quote Maker

So I decide to check out some of the quote makers and I chose to use Canva. It was actually a lot more fun than I had anticipated. Here's my festive little design.

Made with Canva

Week 15 Curation

1) Nine Myths about Hinduism Debunked
 I found this to be a good read that shed some light on some common misconceptions that many people hold in regards to Hinduism. This might be useful for anyone wondering about how the texts we have been reading are being interpreted in the modern world.

2) The work of Grant Morrison.
 This incredible artwork is a sci-fi inspired version of the Mahabharata. This is hands down my favorite art that I've seen this semester.

Arjun invokes a war goddess

Monster Girl Challenge: Naga by TravJames

3) A Native American inspired version of a Naga

Week 15 Growth Mindset

So, I feel like part of the whole Growth Mindset business requires sometimes realizing that things can go terribly, awfully, and can be utterly overwhelming. I think the trick is to realize that sometimes it's ok to not be in control.

On  Fire - Gunshow

Week 15 - Reading Evaluations

* What readings did you like best?
Public Domain Edition Ramayana, Sister Nivedita's Cradle Tales of Hinduism. 

* What reading diary strategies were most effective for you?
Reading day 1 and 2 in the same day. 

* What did you think of the overall balance between reading - writing - commenting in the class assignments?
  The Volume of reading felt varied between weeks.
The Writing felt extensive and somewhat redundant at times.
Commenting was really the only way to communicate with other classmates, so I really was not displeased with any of these assignments.

* As you look back from the end of the semester, what advice about the reading do you have for students who will be getting started next semester?

Choose a variety early, otherwise the readings become monotonous.

Week 15 Reflections

Overall, I felt like the storytelling exercises were the most enjoyable element of this course. I had not done any creative writing in over ten years, so it was a bit fun to work on this type of writing again.

I mainly took this class to fill a credit, and unfortunately, this class fell to the least of my priorities. I enjoyed reading the myths, and I appreciate the cultural perspective that comes from learning the histories and significance of their respective contents, yet in the perspective of this course, I'm not sure what I will take away.