Reflections on the Semsester

I know we still have a few classes left in the semester but I thought now would be a good time to reflect upon my experience in this class.

            I signed up for this class unsure of what to expect. I was skeptical of whether or not I would enjoy the material; although I’ve always enjoyed history classes, I preferred European and Classical history to that of the East. Greek and Roman mythology was my favorite subject in history and I honestly remember little about the units we spent on China, Japan, India, and South East Asia, other than my extensive knowledge of the Mongol Horde. I also had never taken a theatre class. I had always wanted to be involved in the Drama department at my high school but because of my music class electives and heavy course load, I could never fit it into my class schedule and was only able to get involved in a production my last semester of senior year. Therefore, by enrolling in this class, I felt like I was walking into the complete unknown.

            Throughout this experience, I have been pleasantly surprised with the material presented in this class. I had wanted to take Hinduism this semester but was unable to sign up, so the fact that we covered the Ramayana in depth helped to increase my curiosity in the subject matter. Watching videos in class and getting to see performances of what we were discussing was a new format of class for me; I was used to hastily scrawling notes while the professor lectured. However, I found this exposure to the actual material far more interesting and engaging. I remember watching one of the first videos we watched in class, with the women falling into an actual trance and stabbing her chest, and finding it extremely shocking and yet enthralling. The structure of the midterm was also new for me. I haven’t ever been graded on my dancing before and it was a nerve-racking experience, to say the least. I have, admittedly, never possessed much dancing skill. I can keep time and understand rhythm but I lack poise and grace. I was so paranoid that I would forget a step or that my voice would crack in the middle of the song.  However, I enjoyed being able to create my own dance; I love being creative and making things all my own.  The days on which props were brought to class, such as the water puppets, the masks, and the various other puppets, and the days when we actually dressed up as traditional performers were also some of my favorite class periods. They really integrated our subject matter in a way I wasn’t used to. It was much more hands on than any of my other classes, a fact which I decided I really enjoyed. If my schedule permits it, I think it would be great to take another course in the Fine Arts/Acting department, if only to experience this style of teaching once again.