Semester Outlook

Welcome back for this week’s installment of “Where has Taylor gone to?”
As life would have it, I’ve actually not gone anywhere. I’ve just been very bad about posting. So, here’s the quick and dirty wrap up.

School started this week and I’m pretty busy, here’s the class outlook.

Math 102 – The Nature of Mathematics:
Class looks to be very doable, as long as I keep on top of things. Homework every night, but only a couple pages of problems or so to tackle. Prof is extremely excited about the world of math.

Religion 102- History and Religion of the Early Christians (New Testament)
Will be one of my most demanding classes. Nearly 100 pages of reading prior to each class, random unannounced quizzes, and a 15-page research paper. Professor is an extremely engaging orator, but very strict, doesn’t allow laptops, and I have a hard time keeping up with him on handwritten notes.

Political Science 104- American People and Politics
My only lecture hall class for the semester, PoliSci promises to be a very interesting class indeed. The professor has a Who-Wants-to-be-a-Millionaire-esque audience polling system set up for the class, which provides very interesting feedback. After one class it’s obvious that Pepperdine’s students aren’t quite as politically conservative as the school would suggest. Of course, we are talking about College Students, in Southern California, two of the clearest indicators of liberalness there are.

Communications 300- Communications Research
Class workload would typically intimidate me. However, this prof has a reputation of not actually following that workload very closely. He’s also South Korean, and has a very thick accent that makes him very difficult to understand. I think it would be okay, if we could just get him to speak a little louder than the fan in the projector presenting his powerpoint.

TC 270 (and Lab)- Field Video Production
The professor for this class is a senior editor at ABC/ESPN. On top of that, he’s done just about everything there is to do on the darker side of the camera. Editing, Producing, Directing, Writing, Graphics, etc. Suffice it to say, the guy knows his stuff. The class is at 8am because he has to go into the real world for most of the day. I look forward to learning from him, however the class is starting on a slightly frustrating note as we learn which direction to point a Camera and where the viewfinder is.

I am also enrolled in the Junior Writing Portfolio (JWP301) this semester, which means that I have to submit a portfolio of my various writings to a panel to prove that I’ve sufficiently learned to write effectively. I don’t actually have to write anything new, just organize old papers and send them in. I sincerely hope I can figure out where I put those papers.

And to round it all out I’m enrolled in a class called (I believe) TV261 which simply is a technical recognition for my work in the Television Studio and awards me with a credit hour. Ha! A single hour for the great multitude of time I’m sure to spend working on three separate shows. Oh well, it’s just there to make things look pretty I’m sure.

Yes folks, you got it, that means it’s an 18.5 hour semester when you include that .5 credit for Convo. The most you can have and remain in the flat rate tuition. Oh yeah, did I mention that I’m working in the coffee shops on campus too? It’s a wonderful life! Honestly, I’m very excited about my classes, TV work, and new job. It’s going to be a busy semester, but I like it that way.

My goals for the semester are as follows:
1. No less than another appearance on the Pepperdine Dean’s List. Before first semester last year I never thought this was possible for me, but now that I’ve tasted it, I want more.
2. Be an integral part of a quality Pepperdine TV broadcast. By quality, I mean, my version of quality. I want to be proud of what I’ve done, and the final product of the shows I’m working on. This is something that I did not walk away with after my limited involvement freshman year. I believe that it will be different this year.

Here We Go!