Spring 2012 courses.

I’m officially registered for classes next semester. Spring semester starts on January 25th, which will be beating on my door in no time. Given my difficulties, I reconsidered my schedule planning. Instead of four courses, I will be taking three, and all are in my major this time around.

Given that I’m receiving financial aid, in the form of federal loan money, I must retain my status as a full-time student. Thus, I cannot be registered for less than 12 units in a given semester. Well, each of my major courses is four units, so that works out nicely. Theoretically, the workload should be about the same, but arguably, one less class to focus on should make it more manageable. So, what am I taking?

Spring 2012, as it stands:

COMM 116P: Mediation: Theory and Practice

Theoretical background and communication skills training in Mediation Practice. Basic 40 hours of training includes readings, analysis and role plays as well as some observation.

COMM 133F: Ethical Problems in Communication

Examines current and historical theoretical approaches to ethical problems across communication contexts, including workplace, interpersonal, and mediated settings. Explores the role of cultural and societal practices in ethical communication.

COMM 169I: The Media: Response and Criticism

Examination of media as a locus of meaning making. Critical analysis of communication practices and content in a variety of venues, such as television, film, radio, social networking, and other sites of web-based communication.

An interesting tidbit about next semester’s schedule is how flexible it appears to be.  This comes in the form of what looks like minimal physical classroom time. One starts early, to get it out of the way. Another is only once a week, in the evening, and is a hybrid course that meets online and in-class. The other class meeting time still says TBA, and the last this happened, it turned out to be a fully online course. I’m not the biggest fan of taking classes online, but I’ve done it before, and I can manage it again. Regardless of time spent on campus, it’s still 12 units, so I’ll have to make sure I’m keeping myself on track.

Get out the dunce cap.

I’m going to have to peg this semester as my worst yet at SJSU. It is no reflection of courses, professors, colleagues, or otherwise. The coursework this semester isn’t particularly stressful or overtly challenging. My issues in school are a reflection of my internal conflicts.

Image by Laura Burlton

My biggest obstacle by far is motivation. I don’t fully comprehend, on a gut level, what I’m even doing with my life. It’s particularly hard to be gung-ho about school, when you aren’t even sure where it’s taking you. The lack of motivation is a real issue, and this has reflected in my coursework, especially over the last few weeks. I’m behind in each class, to varying degrees. In three of the four classes, there is a paper that simply didn’t get done. I fear that I might not even pass one of my classes.

I’m a member of the honor society Sigma Alpha Lambda, yet I haven’t attended a single meeting or community service function. I have to wonder if my GPA will even be good enough after this semester to retain membership. I’ve been the fundraising chair for another honor society, Sigma Alpha Pi, and feel as though my performance in that position has been mediocre at best. I’ve been a mess this semester, and it’s not over yet. There’s a few weeks of misery left. The wheels are falling off the cart, and it’s not pretty.

My registration appointment for Spring 2012 is this morning, at 7:00. I’m really not sure what classes I’m going to sign myself up for. I’ll probably re-register for the one course, in case I don’t pass it after all. Other than that, I’m not sure what next semester will look like, other than that it will have a PE course, and more focus on my major. I really should have done more to prepare for registration by this point. Can’t say I’m surprised I haven’t, though.

Free Hugs.

Image by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML via Flickr

Perhaps you’re familiar with the Free Hugs Campaign? If not, I’ll let you familiarize yourself with it by reading up on it at the link in the previous sentence.

I first saw the video that spurred the movement way back in 2006. The message was so simple, yet profound. Inspired, within days I had created my sign.  Sadly, it took a long time before I finally got around to using it. Eventually, I dipped my toes in the water by holding up my sign on campus, during the rush between classes at West Valley. In the ten minutes of people scurrying all around me to their respective classes, I managed to give ten hugs. As I had expected, more women took up my offer than men. Three men and seven women was the official tally. People genuinely supported and appreciated what I was doing. I felt great afterward and looked forward to my next outing. However, it didn’t happen for a long time.

I really wanted to find a partner to give out hugs with. Ideally, a female, to even out the gender ratio and make people feel more comfortable. I talked about it to many friends, but while many liked the idea, the thought of them doing it was apparently out of the question. I had meant to do it again, bigger and better, at SJSU. The first two semesters went by, and it never happened. The third semester was rapidly approaching, and I didn’t want to let this one pass by too.

The plan was to stand in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, on the campus side, for an hour, on the first day of school. I was going to have a friend sitting in the vicinity, keeping watch over my camera, as it captured photos. That’s right: there was even going to be a time lapse video of my free hugs adventure. The “event” was going to be broadcast on Facebook, allowing the word to spread and giving people the opportunity to RSVP.

Unfortunately, I executed my plans poorly. I didn’t have the neutral density filters in the size I needed, so the time lapse video wasn’t possible. I didn’t make the Facebook event until the night before, giving very little time for it to be of much use. Once the time came, I found that the flow of people in front of the library was not as significant as I had expected. Jatinder had come along to hold my things, as well as watch and keep tally of the hugs. I got started about fifteen minutes late, and ended up standing in front of Clark Hall instead. We posted this to the event’s wall, but it was unlikely that people would see it by that point. Sure enough, some people I know showed up at the library for a hug, but I wasn’t there.

Despite being out there for around 45 minutes, I only gave out 16 hugs. This was a far cry from the hug-a-minute rate that occurred at West Valley. What I found especially surprising was the difference in gender ratio. Eleven men, and only five women. I’m not about to analyze this information to death, but rather, just find it interesting to make note of.

I can only blame myself for the poor planning and execution of this event. I was anxious to finally get out there and do it again, but in my haste, didn’t think everything through. I will plan the next event better. I am scoping out good spots on campus, have ordered the filters I need to make the video, and will try to post the next Facebook event a week in advance. Now, if only I could find someone else to do this with me. I do have an extra sign, after all…

Revised school schedule.

Image by Keene and Cheshire County (NH) Historical Photos via Flickr

A while back, I posted my tentative Fall 2011 school schedule. Since then, I have successfully registered for my classes, though not exactly as I had outlined before. Changes had to be made, and while the schedule isn’t as nice as I had tried to make it, it’s not terrible either. The course about food and culture was wait-listed for the time slot and instructor I wanted, so I opted for another time and instructor. I was unable to register at all for the Public Relations course, so I had to switch gears.

So, of the four courses I previously mentioned, I am still enrolling in three of them. The PR class I was unable to take was toward my minor, and is required. However, upon trying to register, the system said that I needed permission from the department before enrolling in the course. I am not sure what that’s all about, but I decided not to pursue the issue further at that point in time. When I’m registering for classes, I’m in panic mode, trying to get into my classes as soon as I can.

The inability to register for the PR course changed my schedule planning significantly. Now I had to figure out another SJSU Studies course to take, this time from the R section. None of them particularly struck my fancy, but those that seemed tolerable were either not being taught in Fall, or conflicted with the other courses. I ended up enrolling in Anthropology 160: Reconstruction of Lost Civilizations. I may not have been able to take the course toward my minor, but at least I’ll get all three courses for my SJSU Studies out of the way this Fall.

My finalized courses for Fall 2011 are as follows:

COMM 144: Communication processes and functions in organizational life. Networks, culture, power, leadership, and ethics. Practical application of organizational communication theories and concepts.

PSYC 191: Provides an examination of psychological theory and research related to prejudice and discrimination from the perspectives of both the holders and targets of prejudice. Includes individual and small group exercises to provide experiential learning.

NUFS 144: Cultural aspects of food as related to regional, ethnic and religious influences. Issue based examination of effects of food behavior on culture, society, health, and economics.

ANTH 160: Explores scientific archaeology and the reconstruction of civilizations. Topics include framing hypotheses, site selection, excavation, analysis of artifacts and ecofacts, and reconstructing social systems.

 

Tentative schedule.

Image via Wikipedia

As the Spring 2010 semester drew to a close, I wanted to get my Fall 2011 class schedule figured out. I had meant to do this earlier, but realized I cannot register for classes until June 15th, so I had more time to think it through than I originally thought. Of course, meeting with an advisor from my major was important, to ensure I made wise class selections. During this short session, I was reminded of those pesky upper division GE courses that must be taken at SJSU. I decided that it would be prudent to tackle those as soon as possible.

The SJSU Studies areas I was concerned with were Earth & Environment (R), Self, Society & Equality in the U.S. (S), and Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding (V). By taking the required upper division writing course, 100W, I had already taken care of Written Communication II (Z).

Having looked through the applicable courses for the areas I needed, I found a couple that seemed interesting. I had already determined the courses I wanted to take for my major and minor. Now, it was a matter of selecting specific time slots for all of the courses, in an attempt to make a friendly schedule. In the end, I made a schedule I am pleased with. I’ll be taking one course for my major, one for my minor, and two upper division GE courses.

Unlike the first two semesters, these classes have me running all over campus. It’s a total of 13 units. I considered adding a class to push it out to 16 units. I’d like to be done with school before I’m forty. However, due to current campus restrictions, I cannot take more than 14 units per semester. So, here’s my tentative schedule, with a short description of each course.

 

COMM 144: Communication processes and functions in organizational life. Networks, culture, power, leadership, and ethics. Practical application of organizational communication theories and concepts.

PSYC 191: Provides an examination of psychological theory and research related to prejudice and discrimination from the perspectives of both the holders and targets of prejudice. Includes individual and small group exercises to provide experiential learning.

NUFS 144: Cultural aspects of food as related to regional, ethnic and religious influences. Issue based examination of effects of food behavior on culture, society, health, and economics.

PR 191: Writing and production of marketing communication materials such as speeches, direct mail, brochures, newsletters and websites, all with an emphasis on computer-aided design and graphics.

SJSU in Fisheye.

The recent photo hike I went on with David and Robert was not the first time I used my fisheye lens. The day earlier, I had some time to kill and was dying to get out and try out the new lens. My friend Niels was going to head over in the afternoon to hang out for a while, and then we were going to carpool to dinner with friends in Milpitas. Instead of just fooling around on the internet, we walked over to SJSU so that I could experiment with the fisheye lens. This first trip with the lens convinced me that it was awesome and fun, ensuring that it would get more use. Here is what I captured with it that day.

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Be yourself.

At the beginning of the semester, there was a number of post-it notes scattered around campus. They varied in color and were stuck to all manner of things, in places both expected and not. As I walked all the way across campus to class, I spotted several of these notes, and wondered what their purpose was. Curiosity made me stop to look at one in more detail. It turns out they each had a brief message on them, seemingly written to inspire feelings of confidence or self-worth. Some quick research indicated that the source of these notes was the Kappa Delta sorority. I was unable to find out anything about the post-it notes on their website or Facebook page. I’m curious to find out more information about it. I pass by their sorority house every time I walk to school and back, so I might just stop by and ask for more information at some point.

While I found the general idea of this note-posting project interesting, it’s not all sunshine and smiles. There was one particular note that bothered me. It read “Your awesome.” It’s the thought that counts, not the grammar, right?

Sorry PR. Can we just be friends?

Upon applying to SJSU when I transfered, I declared Communication Studies as my major. I had received my AA degree in this, and planned on simply continuing the trend. However, due to the ridiculous impaction woes goes on right now, this was not possible. They had accepted me, but like a huge portion of others, I was forced into being undeclared. Knowing I would have to consider other options, I did some exploring. I decided that I wanted to try something else and became interested in Public Relations. I discussed this with the department chair for PR, and she kindly recommended what courses to take my first semester. Fortunately, these classes would be applicable to either major.

The semester begins and I start the new leg of this journey toward my degree. I decided that I’d rather not do comm. studies and made PR my goal. I joined PRSSA and slowly began networking with other PR students. The semester is going along smoothly and I have mentally left comm. studies behind as an option. However, things took an interesting turn in the last couple of weeks. It turned out that if I wasn’t signed to a major by November 15th, I wouldn’t be even able to register for next semester. Well, that’s certainly a problem.

Not only did I have to make a quick decision about my major, I had to be able to get into it. This is easier said than done. PR was simply not accepting anyone into the major. The answer to my dilemma came in a wonderfully timed email from the Comm. Studies department chair. They had some openings available and my GPA was high enough to qualify. She said to come on over and she would sign the paperwork to put me in the major. I did exactly that, and am now a Comm. Studies major and will be able to register for next semester’s classes when the time comes.

It turns out that this may be a better plan of action for me in the end anyway. Upon completion of this semester’s courses, I will be halfway done with a minor in PR. Therefore, I will go ahead and minor in PR, and will likely do a PR internship for the elective in that minor. That would put me on even keel with the PR majors who are required to complete a PR internship. The Comm. major is not only broader in nature, but is one of the degrees employers seek for PR-related jobs. In fact, my PR professor informs me that his degrees are all under the umbrella of Comm. Studies. It’s good to know everything works out so nicely.

Sand mandala at SJSU.

Last week, five Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Phukang Khangsten Monastery visited SJSU. They’re on a west coast sand mandala tour. I never would have known about it, except it was assigned as a story to cover for my journalism class. I’m glad for it, however, since it was an interesting event that I am not likely to have an opportunity to witness again anytime soon. Realizing this, I brought along my camera to get some photos. Follow the link below to see them.

First day of school!

 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

 

The day has arrived. Finally, I am officially attending San Jose State University. So here I am, sitting in the Martin Luther King Jr. library, writing in my blog. I’ve only been to the journalism class thus far, and am currently in the middle of my three hour break between classes. My class lineup is as follows:

Monday + Wednesday

12:00 – 1:15 pm: Print and Online Writing
4:30 – 5:45 pm: New Media

Tuesday + Thursday

9:00 – 10:15 am: Mass Communication and Society
10:30 – 11:45 am: Contemporary Public Relations

Whether I’m looking at the three hour break between classes or the earlier, back to back classes, it should be sufficient time for studying and such. The best part of all is that every class is in the same building. The Tuesday and Thursday classes are even in the same room. Mind you, I could use some exploration of this campus. It confuses me thoroughly, so I’m always wandering around looking like a deer in headlights.

I had to modify my work schedule this week, and must work after school this week. However, as soon as next week arrives I’ll return to my normal school schedule. I’ll have Monday through Thursday off just for school and just work Friday through Sunday. As for those work shifts, I have reason to believe that they’ll all be closing shifts for the self-checkout. How I feel about that is a story for another day.