Thirty Days Left...

Thirty days. 

As of today—6 May 2012—that’s all I have left of my time in London. As usual, I’m behind with this thing, but didn’t want this milestone to pass by without saying a little something about it.

All in all, this timeframe marks the beginning of a period of transition—things here draw to a close, as I begin the trek back to my own weird version of ‘normality.’ And it’s not just the big things that are concluding, like my semester as a University of East London student. It’s also the little things, like the huge canister of coffee I’ve used throughout most of my stay finally drying up (the day after classes ended, ironically). Let’s ignore the coffee for a second, though, and look at my time as a student instead. 

UEL Docklands Campus

 Because the US Olympic team will be staying in UEL’s dorms, the entire semester calendar was out of whack. Basically, we turned in midterms, had two weeks of Easter Break, one week of classes, and then our finals were due. 

It was a whirlwind, crazy experience—and if you’ve been following me on Facebook, you know the experience was both taxing and moody-making. Nonetheless, I persevered, and in the end I think I handed in three strong final works.

Most likely, I won’t know how I did on those final projects until I’m back home, but I can talk about how I did on my midterms, as well as offer some final feedback on my experiences in the corresponding modules:

‘Cultural Politics: Power & Contemporary Social Change’ (CC1202; you can find the module description here): Though it served as mostly a refresher course for me, I did enjoy this course quite a bit. The instructors, SM and DS, were my favorites, and really knew what they were talking about. Also, I walked away feeling like I had a much better understanding of Marx—though I still prefer Foucault for his focus on questions of identity.

My CW1 (midterm) assignment was, literally, just the first draft of my final piece. A reflexive work, it explored gay men’s participation in the act of marthoning/triathloning as a form of body-modification and self-surveillance (in the Foucauldian sense) rooted in the discourse of HIV/AIDS and the idealized (gay) male form. On CW1 I scored First-Class marks (the equivalent of an ‘A’), and the assessor’s feedback listed my work as 'a very substantial and scholarly case study that uses excellent examples.’ Based on the early feedback I received on CW2, I’m fairly confident that I’ll receive First-Class marks on the completed work as well.

‘Realism, Fantasy & Utopia’ (CC2202; you can find the module description here): Whereas DS was the co-instructor in the aforementioned class, this module was solely hers. And it was amazing—by far, it was the most brilliant of the courses I took at UEL. My love of this class was not solely based on our phenomenal guide, however—equal credit goes to the amazing friends I’ve made therein, amongst them TvH, RAS, SV, and AR! 

As far as my midterm goes, I also received First-Class marks on this one. It was a rather easy assignment, wherein we merely had to explain the concepts of realism, fantasy, and utopia. As a funny aside, one of the critiques DS offered of my work was that she felt I was too quick to privilege the perspective of the artist/author—she and I have subsequently agreed to discuss this further, as this is an argument I tend to get into with everyone. I strongly feel that too much credit is already given to the reader, and that rather than privileging either the author or the reader, one needs to pay equal lip-service to both perspectives. After all, to overlook the author’s intent de-historicizes and depoliticizes the work. 

Based on the early feedback I received on my final essay—a critique of American Horror Story as a heteronorm-affirming Gothic text—I think DS and I are much more in-sync this time around. This second piece was approached from a Feminist and Queer theory perspective, and DS seemed really excited when she read the draft version. I’m hoping for First-Class marks on this essay and, with her help, I’m hoping to submit it to the Watercool Journal for publication—if accepted, that would be the second piece I’ve had electronically published in a peer-reviewed journal!

‘Culture, Power & Resistance in the 21st Century’ (CC3202; you can find the module description here): By far—by leaps and bounds, and fathoms and light-years—this was my least favorite of the three classes. The instructor was highly disorganized, often came across as condescending toward me, and lacked time-management skills. I highly recommend that Columbia students do not take this class. 

As a result of myriad problems I had in this class—which, to be completely fair, included the resistance I developed after one too many failures to meet what I consider good teaching practices—my CW1 assignment from this class only garnered a 68 (i.e., ‘B’ / 2.I classification). I don’t hold out hopes for a higher score from my CW2 assignment, as the instructor replied with his feedback right before the deadline—5 full days after the date he agreed to. Fortunately, I suspected something like that might happen, and so I asked DS for feedback as well. With her help, I was able to turn my work into something that should at least enable me to pass the class.

Overall, my experience with UEL was a good one. I definitely miss my home-uni, despite it’s countless problems—and I definitely miss CCC’s technology infrastructure, ‘cause UEL’s is atrocious—but the University of East London has been a nice classroom-away-from-home, and I will be eternally grateful for this amazing opportunity! 

So, what now?

Well, as I noted earlier, it’s a time of transition. The biggest thing on the horizon once I return to Chicago is my participation in the Chicago Marathon (26 miles). Given that I’ve never run that distance before—in addition to triathlons, I’ve only ever done a half-marathon—I’ve had to start training here. Yesterday I went for my first 3 mile run of the season. It wasn’t bad, but it was a bit chilly—9˚C/48˚F, with a cold drizzle—and a bit slower than I wanted. Ah, well. By the time I return to Chicago on 5 June, I’m supposed to be running 7 miles.

Speaking of the marathon, I should probably take a brief second to tell/remind folks why I’m doing it. You see, for the third year in a row, I am part of the amazing Team to End AIDS (T2) but, this year I’m putting my bike and wetsuit aside, and solely workin’ the running shoes! (Get it? ‘solely’ and ‘running shoes’? It’s a shoe-joke.)

Take a moment to watch this short video, as it tells you a little more about the journey I'm about to embark upon:

However, in order to train with T2 I have to raise (a minimum) of $1200 by July 1st for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC). HIV/AIDS continues to be a very real problem today, even though it’s not always talked about in the US. In fact, every 9 1/2 minutes someone in the United States is infected with HIV, and each year people grieve for loved ones whose lives have been claimed by the disease. Fortunately, AFC—which was founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians—is leading the fight against HIV/AIDS, and striving to improve the lives of people in the Chicago area who are affected by this pandemic. By funding prevention programs and vital services such as medical care, food and housing, AFC works to stop new infections while helping to keep people with HIV/AIDS alive until the day there’s a cure.

So here’s the skinny:

On top of wanting to overcome a new physical challenge (and achieve a fit-in-the-British-sense body), I desperately need help in raising $1200 for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago this year. As of right now, I only have $540 to go! Not only will sponsors be joining me in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but they will also be supporting me in the pursual of a personal goal that—even a year ago—I never considered possible.

All one has to do is visit my fundraising page and click on the ‘Sponsor Me’ button in the upper left-hand corner (or, if interested in making alternative payment arrangements—which includes sponsorship by volunteerism—just let me know). Any and all donations are appreciated, including those from people living outside of the U.S., and they’re tax deductible to boot!

AC, JD, AT, Nic, and Me after completing the 2011 Chicago Triathlon with T2.

Other than that, the plan is simply to make the most of my remaining 30 days abroad. 

I’ve certainly already started in regards to celebrating my time here—a certain less than stellar photo of me drinking a Mojito out of a suitcase attests to that (thanks, TvH and LD). But I’ve got some other things planned too. For instance, on Wednesday I’m going to go watch as The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh make their way to Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament. Also, I’m meeting my friend BC—she and I met during my trip to Morocco—for coffee tomorrow morning. And, finally, I’ve officially scheduled my final international sojourn during this trip: I’ll be going to the Netherlands (Amsterdam) from 13-16 May, and since I’m going by bus(!) I’ll have a chance to see the northern part of France and Belgium as well!

Amsterdam's Red Light District. [NB: This photo is not mine!]

Oh, yes, the next few weeks will be very exciting!

The Classes...

Happy weekend, everyone!

Well, classes started for me this week. Since that’s the main reason I’m in London, I should probably say something about it, don’t you think? So, below I’ll provide an initial glimpse into each of the modules (courses) I’m taking. No other updates in this post—I'll create a separate post for that stuff in a bit. 

In the meantime:

“Cultural Politics: Power and Social Change” (Thursdays; 9:00 AM-12:00 PM GMT): This module is one of the ones I was required to take—it’s the equivalent of a first-year, post-introductory course. Co-taught by SM and DS,

“[t]he aim of this module is to introduce key ways of understanding power and the technologies through which it is expressed and distributed, and then to put these theoretical ideas into practice by analyzing contemporary instances of cultural politics.

Our interest throughout will be with the question of cultural change, and the possibilities for resistance.

How does change take place and what is the role of technologies in social change? Who has power in our cultures and how does it work?

At the end of the module you will be expected to have an understanding of the different ways in which key theorists in Cultural Studies have understood power and its origins, and be able to undertake different kinds of analysis of cultural politics.” ~ module guide (a.k.a. syllabus). 

As I noted above, it’s fairly similar to a first-year course, and there are the obligatory readings form Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault (YAY!), and Marx...

I love Michel Foucault!

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Now, let me digress (read: rant) for just a moment about that reading list:

I loathe—positively detest; hate; venomously dislike; would rather have a root-canal—reading Marx! Don’t get me wrong; I don’t have a problem per se with what he’s saying. I just hate READING his work (well, the English translations at least).

In some ways, Marx is almost like Tolkien, in that he takes four or five pages to spit out an idea that could have been said in one very short, very concise blurb. And, what’s worse, whereas Tolkien was at least describing ostensibly epic scenery—something to spark the imagination—over those many, many pages, Marx goes on-and-on about labor and value and commodity. Since such matters are already something I’m not overly interested in analyzing personally, the excessive page-counts that are part-and-parcel of Marx-related readings does not make me like him any more. (NB: I'm not saying the issues Marx raises aren't important issues to be explored—they're just beyond my ability to analyze.)

And, finally, I just have to say that, personally, the readings during the first two or three weeks of Cultural Studies-related classes are always my least favorite. Why? C’mon, surely you’ve guessed by now—it’s because they’re always related to Marx! As much as I love and respect my CS instructors, I think there’s a stipulation in the contracts they sign—both in the US and the UK, apparently—that they must all devote the first few weeks to my German foe. (Not that I wish to see him eliminated from the curriculum altogether, of course—it’s just that, if I had my druthers, someone more exciting, like Foucault, would come first.)

Alas, it appears I've taken a page from one of his manuscripts, and written too much. Let me put it this way: this is what my brain feels like after reading Marx...

End rant…

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My second class:

“Culture, Power and Resistance in the Twenty-First Century” (Thursdays; 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM GMT): This is the only class I’m taking that wasn’t required by Columbia’s agreement with UEL. Taught by JG and DS,

“[i]n this module we will look at some of the most important trends and processes which are shaping the world today, and useful ways of understanding them.

In particular we will pay attention to new forms of power, as well as asking what radical culture and politics might look like in the postmodern age of global neoliberal hegemony.

In many ways the current era is one which problematizes older ideas about where political divisions lie: the old conflicts between capitalism and socialism, between liberalism and conservatism, between traditionalism and modernism have been replaced by a complex set of antagonism which are still unfamiliar in many ways.

Here we will try to get a sense of just what is at stake in these momentous shifts. We will pay particular attention to the effects of the neoliberal program on global—and particularly British—society and culture, and at the potential for resistance to this program in the years to come.” ~ module guide

Barack Obama (D) Barack Obama (nL)

It all sounds very interesting. From what I gather, this is the equivalent of something between Columbia’s “Methods of Inquiry” and “Capstone” classes. While there is a heavy focus on neoliberalism in this class, there also seems to be a focus on gender-issues (e.g., one of the prompts for our final work is “Has neoliberalism impacted men and women differently?")—this fact should help immensely with my Women & Gender Studies minor.

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Please pardon the interruption as I offer-up another side-note:

It appears that the only graded assignments for our classes over here are two papers in each class—one that is the equivalent of a midterm essay, and the other a final essay. No weekly reading checks, no tests—just two papers. (Which is both exciting and a bit scary.)

End interruption.

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Now we come to the final class:

“Realism, Fantasy & Utopia” (Fridays; 9:00 AM-12:00 PM GMT): This is the other required class I’m taking—and I’m glad I am! It sounds fascinating! Also taught by DS,

“[t]he aim of this module is to provide an introduction to concepts of realism and test them against what are generally thought of as 'unreality' or 'fantasy'.

We will be questioning what counts as 'truth' and 'knowledge' and exploring the role of utopian fictions in cultural critique.

The main objective of the module is to encourage and enable students to develop a critical understanding of the political interests underscoring historical and contemporary debates about the ‘representation of the real’ in diverse social and cultural practices.” ~ module guide

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Based on the first session of each module alone, I think this will wind up being my favorite. As a sample: DS started off by showing us this three-minute video:

"The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato's Allegory in Clay"

After watching the above, DS split us into groups of two and posed the following questions:

1)    What kinds of thoughts will the prisoners be having about the one how has ‘seen the light’?

2)    How will they react to him after he has failed to convince them of his experiences?

Suffice to say, it lead to some interesting and thought-provoking discussion. 

(If you're interested, my response was that, according to the parable as it was told, the prisoners were incapable of truly seeing or hearing their friend, so they wouldn’t have had a reaction—he was no more than a continuation of the shadowy tapestry they see day-in-and-out. But, if they, in fact, COULD understand what he was saying, then they would either have resented his taunting them with images of an outside world they would never see, or they would have simply ignored him because they couldn’t possibly grasp what he was describing anyway.)

What do you think, dear readers? Comment away….

Other topics to be covered during the module (both separately and together): feminism, gender, and sci-fi. Hellz yeah!

One of my favorite villains ever! And Patrick Stewart. Yummy!

Well, that’s the scoop with my modules. I’ll be back in a bit with another update—one about the non-academic stuff.

Oh, oh, oh! But, before I go, another culture shock moment: they don’t use (American-sized) printing paper at UEL. Nope, it’s all 11.7 x 8.3 in. Somewhat problematic in terms of my organizational methods—how the heck is that gonna fit nicely in my notebook?