A Typical Class

One notable thing about most of my courses, well, three of them anyway is that they take place not in some randomly assigned classroom, but in the actual professor's classroom. It is interesting for me just because I find it remarkably conducive to classwork.

Instead of being surrounded by small, cramped desks which have been pockmarked by students writing all over them, I'm now in a huge office surrounded by bookshelf after bookshelf of all things ranging from literary theory and criticism, huge anthologies, book and after book or play after play of things I have read, haven't read or want to read.

Essentially, it is like having a class inside of someone's small personal library. I love it.

I know it would be impossible at Iowa to do so. Mostly because there are too many students and the professor's offices at Iowa are so much smaller than the offices here.

Part of the fun is also seeing what professors have read or, at the very least, what the professor's have on their shelf. One noticed that I was looking around her classroom before seminar started and she asked what I was doing. I confessed that I was seeing what it was she had on her shelf and that I love seeing what people are reading, have read or what they are interested in. It's something I've done a lot.

I remember a few months ago having a good conversation with my friend Alex back in Iowa City on what he had on his shelf. He has an interesting collection of books. As do my college professors here and back at home from what I can remember.

Of course, I just have to hope I don't get caught looking at their shelves during the middle of seminar but I just can't help myself.