I can’t believe we are already at the end of the term. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was writing my introduction post. In the past 12 weeks, I have been exposed to so many texts and authors that I otherwise would have probably never encountered. I loved the freedom we had to choose which books we would read each week. I’m not the biggest reader, but I was surprised by how manageable reading 1 book a week was to add to my schedule. While it was a little difficult to get into the habit, it started to become routine and now I feel accomplished looking back at all the texts I was able to get through.
The connections that were starting to form between all the texts were really interesting to see. Whether it was the themes or the narratives, I was able to start seeing patterns of what they had in common. I have really enjoyed the different themes that we as a class have explored. I couldn’t write this conclusion without mentioning memory as it was such a central theme in so many of the texts. I started to look forward to seeing how the authors would describe memory each week. I think the ones that stood out to me in this sense and that explored memory the best were W. or the Memory of Childhood, Amulet, and Combray.
Looking back to all the books I chose to read this term, I think my favourites were The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda and Bonjour Tristesse by Sagan. I know they are very different but, I really liked the narrators in these two books. I found them easier to follow along with because they were both interesting women and while reading their stories I was excited to see what they were going to do next. I liked to see how they dealt with situations when it felt like they were backed into a corner and while I might not have agreed with every decision they made, I think they were authentic to themselves and it made for a more engaging read.
Thank you, Jon, Jennifer, and Patricio for making this a great term. I have enjoyed reading all the blog posts and hearing everyone’s opinions in person. To end off my final post, my question for the class is what were some of your favourite themes that we have encountered this term?
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with memory
Throughout the past few months, this course felt like an endless seesaw ride, bouncing against different – yet similar – themes and cultures. In the beginning of the course, I questioned what “Romance Studies” was, or rather, what it could have meant. However, right from the introductory lecture, I realized I won’t be able to […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with adulthood, Bricolage, family, literature, Magic Realism, recollection, Relationship, temporality, war
This course was extremely interesting. It had an entirely different grading system than any course I have done before. I really enjoyed the way this course was marked as it was easy to find motivation and consistency because you know exactly what you are working towards. I also found that it was easy to do class both online or in-person due to the layout. There was not an adjustment period needed for the transition from online to in-person classes. I also found that I did not feel overwhelmed or stressed because I had a pre-determined grade. Because each week required the same amount of homework I found that it was more flexible and manageable than other courses. The consistency of the course was my favourite aspect.
I really enjoyed the blog posts as well because they provided a platform for everyone to share their ideas. In other classes it can be overwhelming to share your thoughts but the online platform made it very easy to. It was nice being able to see different ideas and perspectives from my peers that I may not have thought of on my own. This course also made me read literature that I would not have otherwise read but that I enjoyed. One of my favourite novels was W, or the Memory of Childhood. I found that the contrast between the real world and W was very fun to read and compare. I also enjoyed how different the story was to the rest of the readings that were very grounded in reality and daily situations. This story was more imaginative and creative than the other ones we had read. I think the choice of novels was very broad and provided the readers (students) with different genres and themes.
This course has forced me to rethink the way I read and understand literature. It has taught me not to analyze each sentence but examine the overall theme and read between the lines. At the beginning of the course we discussed how high school ruined reading for many students and I feel as though this course has helped to fix that. I also enjoyed the structure of the class lessons as we were able to work closely with classmates and then contribute ideas to the class and instructors. Everyone brought different perspectives and ideas that were very interesting to hear.
My question to the class: Do you agree that this course has helped repair the way that we read literature? Why or why not?
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with
This course was extremely interesting. It had an entirely different grading system than any course I have done before. I really enjoyed the way this course was marked as it was easy to find motivation and consistency because you know exactly what you are working towards. I also found that it was easy to do class both online or in-person due to the layout. There was not an adjustment period needed for the transition from online to in-person classes. I also found that I did not feel overwhelmed or stressed because I had a pre-determined grade. Because each week required the same amount of homework I found that it was more flexible and manageable than other courses. The consistency of the course was my favourite aspect.
I really enjoyed the blog posts as well because they provided a platform for everyone to share their ideas. In other classes it can be overwhelming to share your thoughts but the online platform made it very easy to. It was nice being able to see different ideas and perspectives from my peers that I may not have thought of on my own. This course also made me read literature that I would not have otherwise read but that I enjoyed. One of my favourite novels was W, or the Memory of Childhood. I found that the contrast between the real world and W was very fun to read and compare. I also enjoyed how different the story was to the rest of the readings that were very grounded in reality and daily situations. This story was more imaginative and creative than the other ones we had read. I think the choice of novels was very broad and provided the readers (students) with different genres and themes.
This course has forced me to rethink the way I read and understand literature. It has taught me not to analyze each sentence but examine the overall theme and read between the lines. At the beginning of the course we discussed how high school ruined reading for many students and I feel as though this course has helped to fix that. I also enjoyed the structure of the class lessons as we were able to work closely with classmates and then contribute ideas to the class and instructors. Everyone brought different perspectives and ideas that were very interesting to hear.
My question to the class: Do you agree that this course has helped repair the way that we read literature? Why or why not?
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with
To conclude my learning journey, there are many aspects I have gained throughout this course. Through examining a series of literary texts with diverse themes, I have become acquainted with key concepts related to romance studies. A notable factor to consider is the arbitrariness and ambiguity in this field of study. At the beginning of […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with perspective, postcolonialism, postmodernity, representation, writing
I can’t believe it’s already the last week. Wow, this semester went by quickly and I will miss this class. I initially took this class to fulfill my literature credits but I did enjoy it, along with the novels! There are very few university classes that I would consider “fun”, but this class would definitely […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with blog, end, reflection
This course to me so far is the most unique course I’ve ever taken at UBC, not only because of the unique way we are evaluated, but more about what I’ve learned from the readings. I myself am an international student, and I didn’t know much about the history, culture and social atmosphere in the […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with
It’s crazy that we are wrapping up the course already! Thank you so much to Jon, Jennifer, and Patricio, for all the hard work and effort put into this course every week. This course was one of a kind and I’m so happy to have had the freedom to explore literature from the romance world. … Continue reading “A Conclusion to Romance Studies”
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with Final Post, RMST
When I first enrolled in this course, I’ll admit it was simply for the literature credits, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. On top of that, I wasn’t sure how the whole contract grading thing would play out, as it is a new concept for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with goodbye
I can honestly say that going into this course my expectations were different. This is not to say the course didn’t met my expectations, but rather that I approached the course expecting romance in the more literal sense (even in spite of reading the course description before registration, when asked by family and friends about […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with Commonality, difference
