A Fair Comparison

Today marked the return of my best friend and worst enemy each semester: academic stress. I'm still trying to gauge how much time I have in a day to myself for homework, correspondence with friends and family, and the occasional blog entry. Needless to say, things take a little more time without the privileges of a private dorm room and the convenience of food, study rooms, and classes all within 10 a minute walk!

I didn't even finish my homework last night due to a trip all day Saturday (which I'll recount soon enough), long (and worthwhile) conversations with my French and real family members, and even an unexpected guest for dinner (which turned into a nearly 3-hour affair!).

Nevertheless, I'm pleased that I finally have an idea of what to expect from all of my classes. In addition to the three IES classes I mentioned a few entries ago, I'm taking three more at the university (though I may drop one if things get overwhelming).

The first is Translation (one hour of French to English, then one hour in reverse). Compared to some of my other classes, this one is a little more laid back as the professor is rather jolly and appreciates the 10 or so IES students in the class who are clearly more willing to respond to his questions. Unlike any other class at the University of Nantes, this class puts us at the same level as the French students, just on the "opposite side" so to speak. It's easier for anyone to translate something into his or her mother tongue. Hopefully, having students from both backgrounds in the classroom will also facilitate some cooperation with our translation assignments... thus far most of us have found it difficult to infiltrate French teenage culture.

My other two university classes take place in the same auditorium, which seats about 140 students. And that's one of the smaller amphitheaters. Most of the students at IES come from small liberal arts colleges like Alma, and so we've shared common fears for these intimidating lecture halls. But in fact, they're not too frightening, once you know to sit at the front so you can actually hear the professor read his or her notes for an hour. During my first session I was shocked to find nearly all the students talking through the entire the course, without the prof blinking an eyelash at them (most of the time he was staring at his typed notes, anyway). Needless to say, it's quite a change for me.

Although it hasn't been the most positive impression thus far, it's been quite interesting (as I've noted already) to compare my private liberal arts college education with France's public university system. French students pay next to nothing for university, but I believe that their university is assigned on a certain combination based on where they live, what they want to study, and aptitude tests. Thus, many French students don't take their university studies very seriously - that's not to say that there aren't many who succeed as well. But it seems that a certain attitude is required to tackle this university system - one must be driven and self-sufficient. Profs don't have office hours to answer questions; they simply lecture a certain number of times a week and expect the students to know everything on the exam date.

Sitting in that grand lecture hall, it finally hit me that my classes could very likely have been just so at a huge university in the states as well. Never was I happier to have chosen a little liberal arts college.

The course I'm considering dropping is called "Studies of the Novel" and it's general literary theories about how the idea of the novel has developed in the past 200 years. It sounds like a bit much for 2 credits, no? And I didn't even get to hear half of the introduction. But I'll give it another try this week.

However, the final university class I'm taking is the one I'm perhaps the most excited for, as it's something I've wanted to study for quite a while: Intro to Linguistics, or the study of language itself. I sat up front with two other IES students and listened as intently as possible, but this was in itself far easier because the professor was engaging as well - I love when professors truly love what they teach, because effectively they can show you how to love the subject as well.

So that's the other half of my semester ahead, learning new subjects, educational cultures, and even methods of learning. I have a pile of books on my desk to read by the end of the semester - I have yet to figure out how to pace myself for that - along with exams looming far off in December, yet all the more intimidating when my entire grade rests on the explanation (in French, of course) I can pump out in under 2 hours on the subject.

But for now, my only task is to learn, to acclimate to this new style of learning, and to make practice of that knowledge each day I'm here. Even when this means speaking awkwardly in new sentence structures or inserting new words, reading textbooks on the morning tram, or reporting what I've learned each day to my host mother (who's wonderfully cultured and loves discussing practically everything).