<p>I will be enrolling at CC this upcoming fall and was wondering what exactly UofW entails? What kind of work does the course require in terms of both written assignments and homework? Will it be mostly argumentative on topics or dissecting a certain author and will it be heavy on the reading?
I also have a couple of questions regarding LitHum. Having gotten my reading list, it just seems so Herculean to actually complete and learn all those books. Do you guys have any advice or strategies on how to tackle this subject? I have no idea what is going to be asked of me so if someone can educate me on the peculiarity of this subject? What exactly is the format of the exam and is there anyway to approach it? Would it be better to learn and isolate themes and examples or is it more of characterization of the characters? I am really discombobulated and do not know how to approach some of the books so if someone can render some imperative advice, I would greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>Thank you once Again for taking out the time to read this post.</p>
<p>UmeedAli, relax and enjoy your summer. But, do read a couple of hours everyday. The works in the Core are difficult to read. But, they are very important texts and you have a great opportunity to benefit from reading them and discussing them in small groups at Columbia.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to start with a summary and explanation of the work before trying to read the actual text. Try doing an internet search or reading the Cliff Notes. Once you are comfortable with the background and plot of the work try to read the text. </p>
<p>Try to work at this during the summer so that you will be ready to hit the ground running when you get to Columbia.</p>
<p>University writting is going to be a fun class where you will work on your writting skills. It is nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>UW is a miserable class. In theory, it’s just 4 essays with odd constraints and 1-2 drafts each, the longest being 8-10 pages. But there’s a ton of busy work in between, and the profs are almost universally grad students who, like you, would rather be anywhere else. It’s not heavy on the reading, but you’ll find yourself having to write 800 words before each class analyzing an author’s argument, while feeling like you aren’t learning any transferable skills.</p>
<p>As for Lit Hum, you are correct. While CC mostly has you read selections from books, you’re out of luck with Lit Hum. The books are pretty interesting though, so enjoy them. At least for me, the essays were pretty open-ended, so I just wrote about the dynamics of gender in the novels and did well on all of them.</p>
<p>@dochouse I have actually been reading the sparknotes analysis and summary for each chapter before actually reading the chapter haha but do you recommend doing anything else as for preparation? If im being brutally honest I feel like I am reading without a purpose because, while I am reading the content and picking up on themes, I have no idea on how to actually process these reading. Are there any particularities that I should be on the watch for while reading?
Also, if anyone wouldnt mind answering, could you please enlighten me on the format of the exam. Obviously there is a gargantuan amount of books and it would be unheard of if they test us on each one separately (on the exam that is) so how exactly is it structured? Are we forming parallels between books and characters, is it general themes that we discuss and bring evidence from any books? Also how does the paragraph identification work; Do we just have to write which book its from or do we have to say which chapter too? I am sorry for what might borderline on hysteria but I am very anxious for things to get rolling and what compounds the situation is that I am not a strong or confident humanities student so kinda stressing out here :P.</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you who answered and anyone who does in the future :)</p>
<p>@UmeedAli you should look out for themes and style when you read the books. From what I remember (I’m now a rising senior), exams will have an ID section with 10-11 quotes for which you’ll need to identify author, title, context and significance for the wider work, as well as a passage-based close-reading section, and an essay section in which you’ll need to discuss at least three works and how they relate to each other. First semester wasn’t too bad in terms of the number of pages you’ll need to read per class because the Greek plays were short; second semester had a lot more reading (Crime and Punishment in 2-3 classes, most though not all of Don Quixote in 2, etc.).</p>
<p>@kthanksbye Thank you for responding to my genuine question despite the condescending and ignorant post of the person above you. And ya, unfortunately i cannot read Homer but I can read his Illiad idiot.</p>