So.....How are classes you ask?

My classes are actually awesome.  To be fair I've only been to one sitting of three of them - the second sitting is tomorrow, but overall I'm pleased with my choices.  Here's a rundown of what I've got:

Körper von Platon bis Judith Butler (The Body from Plato to Judith Butler)
This class has met twice thus far.  The professor is new to the University, but has published quite a bit.  I met with her during her office hours and she was very nice, and interested in my dissertation project, so that was awesome.  The class is also relatively large - about 40-50 students.  This is fine, but it makes having a discussion in class very difficult.  People just kinda say things, and she interprets what they're trying to say and then she calls on someone else....lather, rinse, repeat.  The discussion that we had in class on Monday - about Plato's Symposium - was interesting, but I think we probably could have gotten more out of it.  I myself took some additional notes which I think are important to my own project.  Next week we're reading Pascal's Les Pensées.

Das Erhabene: von der Antike bis zur Postmoderne  (The Sublime: From Antiquity to the Postmodern)
This class is significantly smaller, more like 15 students.  It's specifically for students of the Literature and Cultural Theory MA program, but I asked the professor if I could take the course ahead of time, because my dissertation is likely to deal with the Sublime.  The lecture last week was interesting, and the article that I've read for this week (aka tomorrow) is very much in line with the reading that I'm doing for my PhD exams and dissertation.  In fact, I may end up using it in my exams.

The other two classes that I'm taking are language classes to help me work on the finer details of my language use.  We'll see how they go.  Thus far I've only taken tests in them - but they seem like they will be good classes.

Classes begin - finally

Lest you think I do nothing here but go to parties, and complain about my neighbors, I do actually have some positive, non-complaining things to say about what's going on here.  :)

Yesterday I had my first class.  It was a basic introduction class, going over the syllabus and talking about requirements.  Today I'm going to the professor's office hours to make sure that I'm in the class as an auditor, so that I'm not expected to do anything more than show up and read.  To be honest since I'm reading and writing every day in preparation for my PhD exams, I don't really have the time until after December to really focus on any other writing.  I've already read a good chunk of what we're reading in the middle section of this class, so it will be interesting to see what comes out of those discussions.

Tomorrow is my long day.  I have two German classes and a course on the Sublime in the department of German literature.  I need to make sure with that professor after class that being an auditor in that class is ok as well.  I have read almost everything on that syllabus for my PhD exam list on the Sublime, which means I'm really kind of interested to see what comes out of the discussions and I think it will be good preparation for my exam.  If I can summarize my notes at the end of every week and put them together with the notes I've already taken on these works, I think it will be a solid set of notes to draw on for my exams.

Speaking of my exams.  I finished a book last night, and will likely finish another one tonight, as well as being close to done on 2-3 others.  The end is in sight.