Super Senior

So the time has come for another semester´s registration. Oh my, how time flies. And this will officially mark my entrance into super senior status. Wait, maybe that was changing my major. Hmmm...

I have been sitting in the library of my Spanish university and perusing the class catalogue of my American one.

My first thought is how freaking easy this is when you don´t have to take practice/travel time into consideration but still get priority registration. This super senior thing is going well so far.

I consider myself to be adept at the whole choosing classes that will go toward my degree process and therefore don´t think an advisor is necessary, all evidence to the contrary. I mean, I understand the whole thing and have read extensively through the graduation requirements for an English literature degree, but somehow I have taken all these superfluous classes. I am blaming this on Kelly Ford, I think. Yes, that sounds good...

Anyway, I have a list of the classes I am going to take. I was disappointed, however, that the English department lied to me in the future course offerings on the UNR website. Seriously, almost every single class is wrong. It´s crap. I will be taking this up with the department upon my return. Or I will just say nothing and be a little pissed. Whatever.

Most of the classes are of the English lit persuasion. I still have to take Eng 303 which will be full of freshmen and sophomores. I put this off because it sounds boring: Intro to Literary Theory and Criticism? No thank you... I can criticize adequately on my own, just ask my friends. And I always find these lower classes to require way more work, too, so I´m not too stoked on it.

There´s also Eng 490: Gender/Sexual Identity Literature. Those of you who know me won´t be surprised that I´m taking this class. If I can´t be a Women´s Studies major then I´ll take as many of their classes as they will cross-list with English :)

A special Eng class offered this semester: Contemporary Literature on Grief and Loss. Doesn´t this sound wonderfully tragic and depressing. These are the best novels because they won´t ever leave you. No matter what else you ever read or how far you go in life they stay with you and haunt you always. The memorable books are the best books. I hope we´ll read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close because I adore it. It´s about as contemporary as they come and all about grief and loss. I think it fits the bill.

I have to take another class with lit before 1600s and I can´t decide between Chaucer and, yes ladies and gentlemen, Old Norse. That´s right, my school teaches people the literature of the North Germanic language spoken in Scandinavia and its settlements before 1300. In case you are wondering, Wikipedia just told me that modern Icelandic language is the closest contemporary language. Just thinking about taking this class, or the faces of people when I tell them I am taking it, makes me laugh as I sit here and write this. Why would any English major take this as an undergrad class you ask? Why would they even offer it of all the languages that have ever been? Why the hell not. It seems to me to be just odd enough to probably be fun. Probably useless, but then again, I have found that a lot of college is. Hell, the only thing I´ll be missing from a Spanish minor when I get home is a culture of modern Spain class. I live in modern Spain. I experience the culture (not from a book) every single day. I cannot waive this class. Does this seem as dumb to you as it does to me? People who make these requirements can be a bunch of idiots.

To keep up with the Spanish there will be an Intro to Hispanic Lit. ¿Por qué no? I like literature. I like Spanish. Seems like a good idea.

And to fully round out my full semester without v ball, I am going to take German. Yes, that´s right, German. I have always wanted to take German, I wanted to when I began college but they wouldn´t let me. Now since I don´t have v ball and I do have one more year to take advantage of a paid-in-full education, I may as well. Maybe I´ll go to Germany next year. Plus, I can always drop it if I so choose. It´ll be fun with all the freshman... I can sit there and act badass while they try to muster courage to sit next to me and ask me to buy them alcohol for their dorm party.

Sweet. I´m a super senior.

I feel no guilt about this whatsoever. Most of my friends are all graduating after this spring and moving on with their lives. Not me, no siree. Useless classes are on my agenda (eg Old Norse and Beginning German) and I don´t feel bad at all. Who wants to graduate in 4 years? That´s leaving the party early, ladies and gentlemen. I will be leaving this party we call life soon enough and I want to learn a little more about dead and obscure early Germanic languages before I do.