Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Dr. Childs
Engl 411
April 9, 2019
Pursuing an English degree as this university has been the most enlightening experience I
have ever had. I have loved every minute of it and unfortunately my only complaint is that my
English focused studies did not begin until my time at this university was nearly half over. I
understand having to get prerequisite classes out of the way, but in an ideal setting there would
be lower level or introductory classes available across a wider range of specializations. This
obviously would not apply to every student, but exposing students to a wider variety of studies
that English can encompass would allow student to more quickly realize what specialization they
wish to pursue, and have a degree that can be the most beneficial. Throughout my first two years
as a student the classes I took that truly interested me were very sparse, out of the total 30 credit
hours I complete I was only truly invested and interested in roughly 9 hours. This in my opinion
is an issue. An easy solution to this issue though would be to have students each year in the fall
take a single credit course similar to the capstone we are in now but less intensive just to identify
student’s interests and attempt to set them on the right path for what they want their career to be.
My junior year I consider to be the true start to my college career as this was when I had
to the opportunity to begin taking classes with a concentration in my desired field of study. I
sadly was still limited in the classes I could take but I decided to take Engl 483 (Theory of
Literary Criticism) with Dr. Boyle. At this point I began to realize that the skills an English
Major is supposed to teach you, I was actually developing. I was able to identify which areas
within readings were critical for discussions, and I was able to comprehend complex
information/ideologies and communicate them in more easily understood means. Being capable
of information translation if a crucial skill within just about career field. Communication is the
backbone for the survival of all companies and every career no matter what field it is in, involves
working as or for a company. The development of this communication skills has benefited me
immensely, not only can I see this when having to explain things to people without a deep
understanding such as mine, but I see it through my general communication skills. I have
developed a more concise, yet professional manner of interacting with others and it has even
helped me acquire undergraduate jobs. The spring semester of this same year I took Smith’s Engl
393 & 459 which both assisted alongside 483 to deepen my understanding and change the way I
think about things. Critical Thinking is a popular buzzword within English studies but I feel as
though these three classes truly instill students with the ability to critically think whether they
realize it or not. After taking these classes anytime I am forced to interact with reading material I
account for the style and form the text is written in, as well as outside factors that influence how
the document was created. These subtle nuances surrounding the texts creation most readers do
not think about when interacting with the text, but these factors can have a drastic influence on
the meaning of the text or the interpretation readers can gather from it.
Pairing with these abilities to closely read documents beyond the surface level text,
classes such as Engl 488 (Studies in World Literature) and DCD 200 (Digital Humanities)
expanded my understanding of what exactly “texts” can be and just how many different forms in
which reading can take place. Interaction with digital narratives, looking at historic pieces of art,
and creating a narrative through building a digital environment, which I did in my GEOG 456
(Gaming Worlds Class) demonstrated that reading can occur subconsciously and through visual
representation transgressing words on pages. Reading can be done through exploring digital
environments where physical creations displayed in virtual places can tell their own unique
narratives. One of my favorite aspects of finally getting to work in this area of study is how
much impact interactivity can have to ones reading experience. When the text becomes more
than words on paper and incorporates the use of more senses from the reader it is no longer
simply reading text, it’s experiencing a narrative. I have constructed a digital environment in the
past and am currently constructing another, and without any text through these spaces an
individual can theorize possible narratives just from visual stimuli in these spaces. Entire
narratives can be comprehended and enjoyed without a single word ever being written or spoken
and this specific literacy skill is something we all possess but I have been able to specifically
learn about and develop a proficiency in manipulating it to share my narratives. From these three
classes that have shown me the different types of literacy we demonstrate I have decided on what
I want to do with my life and pursue a career in a field where I can work to create digital
environments that share narratives through media. Personally, I want to work in the medium of
gaming and this results from my combined love for gaming and growing love of creating virtual
responsibility and being truly independent, but I have grown as a student both creating a passion
for learning and working within my field of study. I am incredibly excited to start my studies in
graduate school and be capable of moving beyond the classroom to hopefully land a career at one
of my favorite game development companies. I plan on taking a variety of graduate level classes
that will both assist in the development of my technical skills, and aid in further understanding
the nuances around developing digital narratives. I have loved every minute spent at this
university and as previously mentioned the only thing I would love to see change is students
process spanning your attendance in college, not simply the very last semester.