And the learning begins....

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with a full day of classes for me. Or so I thought. Apparently I'm not very good at reading the module timetable, or lack of one for my Protestant Nation class. Both Amy and I thought that we had a lecture for that module this morning and showed up for it, but apparently we don't. Which means that my Thursday classes go from 1pm to 5pm, rather than a class from 10-11am as well. At least I can sleep in on Thursday mornings then.

My classes this semester seem to be really good so far. And for those who are interested they are:

Politics, Religion and Culture in England 1558-1640: A Protestant Nation?
'Exploring the causes of political and religious instability in England in the century before the Civil War, with a particular focus on the problematic creation of a national identity. Beginning by looking at the troubled political and religious legacy inherited by Queen Elizabeth. Then examining some of the forces that united and divided English men and women during the period. How did monarchs and local elites seek to justify their authority in this period? To what extent were ideas of hierarchy and obedience queried or accepted, and what impact did such ideas have on daily life? Areas for consideration include government ideology; popular beliefs and literacy; the persecution and toleration of religious minorities; the politics of the parish; and attitudes towards birth, marriage and death.'

Native Peoples of the US and Canada
'Aftern an outline of the underlying problems in defining Native American/First Nations identity based on legal status, racial criteria or historical evidence we move to an overview of the amin developments in Indian-white trade and political relations in the US and Canada, and trace key changes in religious and cultural practices and beliefs through the 20th century. We then focus on the representations and self-representations of Native Americans, including film, ethnography, autobiography and fiction.'

Sexuality in Early Medieval Europe
'This module deals with sexual behaviour and attitudes to human sexuality in the early medieval West. Key issues include: ancient, medieval and modern theories of sexuality; Christian beliefs about the family, marriage and child-rearing, and challenges to these; regulation of sexual behaviour as expressed in law codes adn books of penance; and alternative sexualities, including same-sex relationships.'

All three have been great so far. I really like the Native Peoples class because it forces me to think critically about the stereotypes that have become a part of American culture and to futher understand what the issues are surrounding political issues dealing with Native Americans or First Peoples, and all the debate surrounding terms and categories used to describe and organize societies.

The sexuality module sounds quite interesting too and the prof is really easy to understand which is nice. Plus he touches on a few texts that I read last semester and so now I get to revisit them from a different perspective.

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