Final Course Reflection

         For the last blog of the semester, I would like to share my thoughts about this course. I registered for this course because it was a four-credit history course that fit into my class schedule and covered a topic I’d never thought to study - theater. Throughout my educational career, I have been drawn to numbers, logistics, statistics, and things that are definitely quantifiable. This course gave me the opportunity to try something completely new and taught me to step out of the familiar and into the unknown. The professors created a learning space where it was okay to disagree with our peers, hence the grading debate for our midterm performance, and an environment where we could try new skills with the support of our peers, or Banjar as I’ve come to call my class. I think the final performance was one the moments that really gave me a sense of pride in the community we built for our class, as I had a very difficult time completing the assigned chant. I had spent countless hours (both awake and in my sleep, according to my roommates) practicing the Japanese song; however, the once memorized song disappeared from my mind when I sat down in front of my teachers and classmates for the final performance. I have always been a confident public speaker and have never had issues with stage fright, so it seemed strange that on the last day of class that I would have issues. To my surprise, Guru and my classmates encouraged me to keep going and gave me the needed confidence to get through the song. Never in any other college course could I image this same support. This class was such a unique experience in the material we learned, but even more importantly in the experiences we created for each other. I feel so privileged to have had such knowledgeable and passionate teachers, and will look back on this course as one with some of the most impacting memories from my college career.