Online Education Review

This was my first online class, and I loved it. I was worried I might have a hard time keeping up with a class if I didn't need to physically be there everyday, but it was structured so well that this was not an issue at all. Aside from the class content, I learned about a lot of cool internet things. I made my first blog for this class, as well as my first website. There were some really neat Tech Tips that I think I will use a lot in the future, too. I don't know if I ever would have been exposed to most of these things in a traditional class. I think I probably wouldn't have.

This was a meme I learned how to make in this class. Web: memecrunch.com

I would definitely recommend this class to anyone, and I myself would take more classes online in the future. I think that with online classes, there's a concern that there isn't a lot of student-student and student-instructor interaction, and while I suppose that may be true from some online courses, that was not the case at all with Indian Epics. We did enough peer commenting that I felt like I really got to know other students in the class, just as well as I do in my regular classes for sure, and maybe even better. I also feel like I had a good email relationship with the instructor. Laura was always available if I had questions, and she gave me really, really great feedback on my stories. She was so great about helping me improve my writing and being encouraging about it at the same time. That's not an easy balance, but she's awesome at it! I always looked forward to getting comments back from her because they were so positive! Definitely a confidence-booster, and I'm not very confident about my writing, so I appreciated it a lot. It is clear that she has put a ton of time and energy into this online course, and I think any future online classes should use this one as an example. It truly is set up very well.

Gen. Ed. Review

At this point, I have fulfilled almost all of the General Education requirements for my degree. I honestly enjoyed all of my gen. ed. classes. One of my favorites was freshman Government. I got to take that class with President Boren, and that was such an awesome opportunity. His lectures were super interesting, and I always looked forward to going to that class. I felt really lucky getting to learn about government from him. He's so cool!

(David Boren)

I took Indian Epics online because I still needed to take an upper division Non-western Civ. class. I stumbled upon it when I was looking for classes under that category on Ozone, and I thought it would be convenient to take an online class, so I enrolled. That was such a great decision! This class was an awesome experience. I think it was my very favorite gen. ed. class. I got to learn a lot about Indian culture that I didn't know. It was also really good for my development as a writer. I hadn't done much creative writing before, so it was something I was really hesitant about at the start of the semester. Now, though, it's something I enjoy very much. The readings were fun and interesting, and the assignments were helpful but not too demanding. I never felt stressed out about this class, which has been rare for me in college. I can't think of anything I didn't like about it. It's not a very hard class, but I definitely got a lot out of it. A lot of people talk about easy gen. eds. you don't have to spend a lot of time on, but this was a class that I enjoyed putting time into. I have been telling all of my friends to take it.

College Writing Review

Since my major is Computer Engineering, I’m not required to take many writing classes beyond freshman English. None, actually. I opted to take Expository writing instead during my second semester of freshman year, and that was super fun! The subject was Counterculture, which I hadn’t previously known much about. I learned a lot about various countercultural movements and ideas, and we had a lot of freedom with essay topics, which I loved. One of my favorite essays I have written throughout college was an analysis of the Disney short Paperman. I don’t usually enjoy writing essays, but I enjoyed that one.

I’m also taking Honors courses here, so last year I took a Perspectives class on Banned Books. That class was very fun and engaging. The readings were interesting, and again, we had a lot of options when it came to selecting essay topics. I remember I had to write an essay about American Psycho, and I hated that book, so I had next to no desire to write about it. But, I was able to just focus my attention analyzing the music chapters, and I was able to turn out a really good essay, relative to other things I have written. I have noticed a big difference in the quality of my writing when I have more choice regarding the subject.

This class was a really great opportunity to expand my writing skills. I have never taken a creative writing class before, so this was very new for me. There was so much freedom in the writing assignments for this class. During the weekly storytelling assignments, I liked that I was able to retell stories from the reading any way I wanted. One week I retold a story through young bears hiking up a mountain. Another week, I represented the mountains from a legend as blanket forts. I used my imagination in a way I so far haven’t in college writing, and that was really cool. I especially loved the storybook assignment. It was so fun to make my own website and find images for it. I got to get really creative trying to relate stories of Vishnu avatars to intergalactic travel. I wrote bold characters and narrated stories as a gruff, old spaceship captain. It was sort of challenging, but it was very, very different from homework for my other classes, so it was a welcome challenge. I’m proud of the storybook I’ve turned out. This was a cool project, for sure.

This was the image from the cover page of my storybook. Web: Pixabay

Week 13 Reading Diary B: Battle of the Pandavas and Kauravas

This reading mostly covered the battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Even though I knew the Pandavas would win, I was still on the edge of my seat, especially when Arjuna fought Karna. I thought it was sad that Karna had to die. I was really hoping he would have a change of heart and join his brothers, though that was probably very unrealistic from the start. The whole battle is kind of sad, actually. Particularly when Arjuna explained to Krishna why it was so difficult for him to fight Bhishma, his grandfather. He remembered playing with him as a child, and he couldn't kill him right away. So it was kind of heartbreaking when he eventually did.

The reading ended with Duryodhana hiding out in a lake. Seemed kind of cowardly. His few remaining friends asked him to come out and fight with them, but he refused on account of he was tired. Sanjaya describes him as such an incredible warrior, but this was kind of a wimpy move, I think.

(Duryodhana found in the lake)

Week 13 Reading Diary A: Pre-Battle

One of the most interesting parts of this reading was the friendship between Karna and Krishna. Their conversation on the chariot was surprising because it previously seemed as though Karna scorned Krishna as an enemy on the Pandavas' side. Karna's loyalty to Duryodhana is so interesting because his brothers are the Pandavas. Further, Arjuna is his sworn enemy, but he's his brother! Krishna explains Karna's history and makes that argument, but Karna's mind is unchanged. Very interesting. I found a picture of that scene, which I have included below.

(Krisna explains to Karna)

Another thing that I suppose I have noticed in the readings but have not really commented on is the relationship between kings/warriors and their charioteers. Dhritarashtra speaks with Sanjaya as one of his most trusted friends and advisers. Similarly, Arjuna and Krishna are incredibly close. I think I remember that the Ayodhyan king had a strong friendship with his charioteer, too, in the Ramayana. He even married Kaikeyi, who drove his chariot when he was younger. It all really shows the great value of that position in that period of time.

Week 12 Reading Diary B: Exile in the Forest

This was my favorite reading thus far in the Mahabharata. The side stories were cool; I really enjoyed the one where Savitri reclaimed her husband from Yama. I also liked when Duryodhana had to be saved by the Pandavas.

My favorite part was the return of Hanuman! He was my very favorite character in the Ramayana, so I loved the part where Hanuman met Bhima and they talked about Hanuman’s assistance in Rama’s epic journey. Such an awesome little monkey. I was happy to see he’s still funny and sassy, and super strong -- stronger than Bhima, even. I kind of wish that part had lasted longer. Hanuman invited Bhima to return later, and I hope he does.

I also like the relationship between Krishna and Draupadi. They’re kind of pals. She calls him when she needs help, and he always shows up for her immediately. They also speak very openly with each other, and they’re pretty funny. It’s an unusual friendship, but it’s fun to read about.

(Draupadi satisfies Krishna with one pinch of Rice)

Week 12 Reading Diary A: Dice Games

For me, the main takeaway from this reading is NO DICE GAMES! Apparently, there is some kind of math to it because the Ayodhyan king said he could teach Vahuka (Nala) how to win at dice. Seems like guess work to me. I don’t understand why both Nala and Yudhishthira gambled away everything they had! After losing a couple of times, I would have quit. Probably a pride thing.

I especially liked the story of Nala and Damayanti. It was kind of a bummer most of the time, but it had a happy ending. I enjoy the inner stories Buck incorporates into the larger story of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. They add a good depth to the story that keeps it very entertaining.

One of my favorite parts of this reading was when Arjuna was brought up to heaven to meet his father Indra. That part was nice. I like reunion scenes like that.

(Indra Welcomes Arjuna)