So, I've been here for a month and a half now. Wow. That's gone quickly. I'm really glad I signed up to do a pre-sessional intensive language course - it's been a great way to meet people. In fact I can't imagine what things are like for people who've only just turned up. There are quite a few other Erasmus students in our halls which is good (we needed some new blood) and they seem to be settling in pretty well, but I really appreciate having had that extra month to settle in prior to classes starting.

So, what else? I've chosen my modules for this semester:

The Fairy Tale: History, Theory and Contemporary Versions - basically, a lot of Angela Carter, Brothers Grimm, and theory from people like Jack Zipes. This is the only seminar I've actually had so far, and out of a class of 30 or so, there was only one male student. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that; amused, but a little disappointed not to have more male perspectives on the subject, I think.

The American Postwar Counter-Culture and the Arts: Texts and Contexts 1945 to 1975 – stuff like the Beat poets, and a bit of good old Hunter S. Not an area I know very much about, and the preliminary reading has turned over a few gems. In particular, Lenore Kandel who wrote totally obscene hippie love poems, described in one quarter as being “as if Elizabeth Barrett Browning had taken acid and set about to describe the sex act as a cosmic event.” Great fun. It's also quite interesting learning about the beats as a counter-culture movement, as the formulation of alternative social groups and their impact upon the artistic landscape has always been something that has interested me.

Gender and the Internet – This is conducted online, which I think is really interesting, particularly given the nature of the module. Gender studies is obviously something I take an interest in anyway, and I've been quite fascinated of late with the way in which the internet is affecting human interaction in a variety of ways, so this module combines two areas of interest. I'm a bit curious about how the module will be marked though – it's worth 6 credit points, 2 of which come from participation in the class online forum, 2 come from course preparation and 2 come from a group internet project. So it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Spaces of Decivilization: Norbert Elias's Cultural Theory and American Literature – this module looks really interesting; I'm expecting it to be quite challenging but I decided if I didn't go for it then I probably never would push myself and where's the fun in that? Basically it involves a famous and well respected theory of the civilizing process by one Norbert Elias. His theory has been applied to European states many times but never really to America – and inherent problems rise when one tries to do so, as (without going into too much detail) America has always contained “spaces of decivilization” like the wild west, the ghetto, etc etc. So I will be studying the work of Elias and seeing how it stands when applied to the Usa, and then looking at how these “spaces of decivilization” are portrayed in American Literature.

Then I'll be taking the rest of my credits in German Language tuition, although it remains to be seen how successful this will be.


I really like the fact that we have a lot more freedom here to choose our modules than we do in Leeds; although it's due partly to my having studied straight Philosophy in first year (level 1 phil students don't have any optional modules except for electives, which does make sense from the perspective of making sure students are well rounded in a mostly new discipline, but also was quite limiting) I have to confess there have been times when I have been frustrated by the lack of wiggle room in the Leeds curriculm. On a few occasions I was aware of feeling like I was merely studying an approximation of the areas I genuinely took an interest in; being able to indulge my intellectual curiosity here within less limited confines has given me a great deal of enthusiasm. Which is nice. :)

That's all for now I think.