Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Class warfare, the Reformation and gettin' over the election
By The Erudite Redneck
Nineteen down, three to go.
Three of us showed up for my class in the Reformation today. Only four of us have been left for the past few weeks. First day of class, there were 22 of us. I hope this one gal who has been struggling especially hard -- we've ALL been struggling -- hangs in there.
This is the hardest class I’ve had since “Doc” Ed Paulin’s class in mass media law at Oklahoma State back in, oh, probably ’85. It was considered THE hardest class in the J-school, and I earned one of two B’s in it that semester.
I dearly want an A in this class on the Reformation. That would give me straight A's in 33 hours of grad school.
I have a low A right now -- but have two essay tests, two book reviews and another evil map test to get past between now and -- gulp -- Dec. 13.
Next big test is this Friday. From Calvin in France through the Tudor dynasty in England. There will be eight IDs from more than 50 assigned, and two essay questions from about a dozen general topics.
Holy Roman crap, so to speak.
Saturday is a day off -- and up to Stillwater with Dr. ER and Bird, to see OSU beat Baylor. Maybe.
Sunday, I’ll write a review of The Swiss Reformation, a new (2002) book on the 1500s in the Swiss Confederation, by Bruce Gordon. Five-page book review. No biggie.
Monday, I’ll start working on the evil map test, which is Nov. 22. Major biggie. Made a D first time around on the first map test; eked out a high B on the retake.
We three survivors are assuming we will get to retake the second one, too, if we make D's or F's. If so, then I for dang sure don’t want a C the first time. I’ll be stuck with it, I think.
The rest of the week, I’ll work on that and review my thesis, which I defend Friday, Nov. 19. My thesis: “Civilized Scribes: Voice of Opinion in the Choctaw Press, 1849-1852.”
Somewhere in there I’ll do lots of routine reading in our three textbooks and start reading on a third book to review: Ottoman Imperialism During the Reformation: Europe and the Caucasus, by C. Max Kortepeter.
It’s an old book (1972) but still considered a standard on the topic. I am fascinated with Suleyman the Magnificent, big-time Turk warrior who gave the Holy Roman emporers, nascent Spain, Habsburgs, the Pope and everybody else and their dogs fits.
It’s a wonder he didn’t whip ’em, since all the royals in Europe were so dang busy beating each other up at the time.
Therein lies a lesson for the present: We have to quit dissing each other in this country -- red states vs. blue states, liberals vs. conservatives, erudites vs. rednecks (oh wait, strike that one)-- or our enemies will whip us because we're so dang busy beating up on ourselves.
END
Nineteen down, three to go.
Three of us showed up for my class in the Reformation today. Only four of us have been left for the past few weeks. First day of class, there were 22 of us. I hope this one gal who has been struggling especially hard -- we've ALL been struggling -- hangs in there.
This is the hardest class I’ve had since “Doc” Ed Paulin’s class in mass media law at Oklahoma State back in, oh, probably ’85. It was considered THE hardest class in the J-school, and I earned one of two B’s in it that semester.
I dearly want an A in this class on the Reformation. That would give me straight A's in 33 hours of grad school.
I have a low A right now -- but have two essay tests, two book reviews and another evil map test to get past between now and -- gulp -- Dec. 13.
Next big test is this Friday. From Calvin in France through the Tudor dynasty in England. There will be eight IDs from more than 50 assigned, and two essay questions from about a dozen general topics.
Holy Roman crap, so to speak.
Saturday is a day off -- and up to Stillwater with Dr. ER and Bird, to see OSU beat Baylor. Maybe.
Sunday, I’ll write a review of The Swiss Reformation, a new (2002) book on the 1500s in the Swiss Confederation, by Bruce Gordon. Five-page book review. No biggie.
Monday, I’ll start working on the evil map test, which is Nov. 22. Major biggie. Made a D first time around on the first map test; eked out a high B on the retake.
We three survivors are assuming we will get to retake the second one, too, if we make D's or F's. If so, then I for dang sure don’t want a C the first time. I’ll be stuck with it, I think.
The rest of the week, I’ll work on that and review my thesis, which I defend Friday, Nov. 19. My thesis: “Civilized Scribes: Voice of Opinion in the Choctaw Press, 1849-1852.”
Somewhere in there I’ll do lots of routine reading in our three textbooks and start reading on a third book to review: Ottoman Imperialism During the Reformation: Europe and the Caucasus, by C. Max Kortepeter.
It’s an old book (1972) but still considered a standard on the topic. I am fascinated with Suleyman the Magnificent, big-time Turk warrior who gave the Holy Roman emporers, nascent Spain, Habsburgs, the Pope and everybody else and their dogs fits.
It’s a wonder he didn’t whip ’em, since all the royals in Europe were so dang busy beating each other up at the time.
Therein lies a lesson for the present: We have to quit dissing each other in this country -- red states vs. blue states, liberals vs. conservatives, erudites vs. rednecks (oh wait, strike that one)-- or our enemies will whip us because we're so dang busy beating up on ourselves.
END
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Wow! What a schedule. It made me tired just reading about it.
If there's one thing that can pull Americans together it's a common enemy. I think we'll be able to put aside our differences to do what has to be done.
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If there's one thing that can pull Americans together it's a common enemy. I think we'll be able to put aside our differences to do what has to be done.
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