Monday, October 05, 2009

I wish exciting things were happening

Today is one of those days that I want to completely reject the English major and refuse to ever read another book again.

I spent three to four hours today reading for my critical theory class, and I have no idea what I read. In class my professor went over the reading and it felt like he was summarizing something completely foreign. That's what it meant? Derrida, anyone? Structure, Sign and Play? The reading ended up being about how every philosophical system claims to have a center, origin or "presence," as Derrida puts it, that claims to be truth; therefore, everything springing from that origin within the structure is also truth. However, Derrida argues that if each separate system claims to have this origin then how can they all be true? Ultimately, Derrida argues that none of the origins can be true.

I feel like I do so much reading every day, and I either don't have the time to glean something from it (or don't have the desire in the case of my rhetoric course), or don't find anything worthwhile in the reading.

What value is this masters program?

4 comments:

Chelsea said...

"Its clouds illusions I recall, I really don't know clouds at all"

"Is she taking flying lessons?"
...............................
I felt the same way when I was in school. I really liked reading before college. Now I cannot bring myself to finish a book. It has been so long it's embarrassing.
...............................
At the very least the value of your master's program is this:
"get all the education you can"
(some general authority)
And also - You are in school so for now you don't have to get serious about finding a career and being gainfully employed. :)
...............................
I kind of hated it in French lit classes when the teachers would be all "So what is so and so SAYING?? What is he/she alluding to?" and expect us students to raise our hands and give the same answer/interpretation that the professor was thinking.

Oh the joys of subjective analysis.

You're going to be so smart when this is over.

Kathryn Pepper said...

Oh Kristin. Just remember that some people (ME) want to be in your shoes. In other words, I want to go to grad school. Now doesn't that make you feel better? Someone wants to do what you're doing. So it can't be that bad. But it does remind me of my last semester at BYU and as I was in my Hitchcock class I would be reading Confessions of a Shopaholic under the desk because I didn't have to THINK about it. I wanted to read a book and not have to look at every word and find meaning.

Unknown said...

Dear Kristin,
there is no personal, emotional value.
But, afterward you finish you'll get paid more in a job cause you'll have a masters.
Monetary value.
Makes the world go round.

Chelsea said...

How was your Thanksgiving?