Social Postures

As part of my Social Science degree, there’s a core module to be completed every year – tonight we had the first class of the first core module: Understanding the Social World. I can’t say I found it as stimulating as Monday night’s Foundation of Politics class – but then, I’m kinda knackered and a little hungover.

This module covers two main topics – developing study skills (as many undergraduate students here are returning to study for the first time in many years) and introducing students to a number of concepts that we’ll be encountering over our degree..

I can’t say I’m looking forward to a semester covering topics such as time management, note-taking and Powerpoint (!), in fact I’m actively dreading it. Spending time identifying what my ‘skills’ are (or are not :), ‘learning’ how to critically analyse writing, being reminded how to write a paragraph does NOT get me hot. I get bored really easily when I feel like I’m not being ‘challenged’.

However, the truth is that my instinctive ‘BORING!’ response is exactly the kind of thing I’m trying to overcome with this degree. My aim is to stay motivated and focussed, not put off by stuff that seems too easy. I realised I perceive myself as cleverer than some people, but nowhere near as clever as a whole bunch of other people and I have a habit of running away when I move outside the comfort zone of discussing Things I Know About.

I need to build up some foundations by focussing on the ‘boring’ stuff so I don’t topple over when approaching those of lofty intellectual height.

So, in this spirit, I’m going to complete my first ‘learning journal’ (the very term makes me shudder).

-deep breath-