Week 2 in Aberdeen and that means courses begin! Thankfully, I only have courses on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. As I am here to study, I feel as though I should talk a bit about the courses I am taking and how the education system compares to my education back home.
The first course that I am taking is German Language 4. This course is broken up into three different class meetings: A translation course on Tuesdays and a grammar course and an oral course on Thursday. I have never had a translation course before so I am looking forward to this. The tutor (teacher) is very nice and the course was instructed almost entirely in German. The grammar course is definitely good for me, as I am able to review grammar topics and learn some new ones. This is a different teacher. She is also very nice and she talked mostly in German. The oral course seems to be a very fun course and is led by the same teacher that I have for grammar. On Thursday, we played a grammar quiz game. Looking ahead in the course plan, we will be doing a scavenger hunt, talking about radio podcasts, and doing presentations about German music. The class sizes for these three courses are around 11 students each. This is really nice so that I can get to know the other students and the teachers can get to know me well. I have high hopes for this course.
The second course that I am taking is Modern German Culture 4. This course is centered around reading Faust by Goethe. Now, I was not too thrilled about this course. I have read excerpts from Faust and he is kind of the German Shakespeare. I do not really enjoy old literature like this where there are different interpretations and hidden symbols. The professor is the head of the German department at the University of Aberdeen. From talking with other students who study German, she is well liked. There are 13 students in the course, including myself. I love these small groups. The course is taught in English, which surprised me. We read the text in German but discuss in English. This is not great for my German skills but will make the course a bit easier. I do not think this course will be too hard.
My third course is a history course about vikings. This was not a course that I had in mind before arriving in Aberdeen. However, when meeting with my adviser, he told me that many international students take this course, so I thought I would give it a try. This course would be my first lecture course that I have ever taken. On Tuesday, I was surprised with a packed lecture theater that could not even hold the 234 students that are enrolled in this course. I was astonished to see this many students in one course. I have also never been lectured to before.
I sat there for an hour and just listened to the professor talk. Usually, I have seminar based courses at home where the students and professors engage with each other. The professor that did the first lecture stated that he believes that vikings do not exist. Hmm this should be interesting... taking a course about vikings, but the professor does not believe that they exist. His lecture on Thursday had absolutely nothing to do with vikings and he is my tutor for my Tuesday tutorial. This does not sound promising. I have a lecture for this course every Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, I also have a tutorial (this is basically a small group instruction- American version of a recitation). I have never had a tutorial (recitation) before so this will also be a new experience for me. I know that attendance is not mandatory for the lecture but is mandatory for the tutorial.
My fourth course is History of Art: In the Flesh: On Location. This course does not start until March but I am super excited for it! Our first class meeting is taking a trip to Edinburgh, where we will visit the Scottish National Gallery. Following this trip, I have a lecture every Tuesday and then an on-site visit every Wednesday. We will visit different sites in Aberdeen and will discuss and analyze each piece. There is such a big difference between seeing art on a Powerpoint and seeing the art in person. I am really looking forward to going to these sites and learning more about art in Scotland.
Overall, the education system here does not seem much different than back at home. My German courses and Art History course have discussions and participation and attendance are mandatory. My viking course seems to be the only different style that I will experience. Something that surprised me was that all of my courses are finished by the end of March. We have a three week spring break in April and then we revise (study) for exams until May. This seems like such a long break. We only receive 11 weeks of teaching here.
I am hopeful that I will have a good semester here! I want to make friends in my courses, learn a lot, and pass all of my exams.
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