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Yancy's picture

Final evaluation

Esem is such a special course in my college, and I still remember for the first time I saw the topic play in the city, which relates two totally different definitions in my mind. The course in this semester provides me the chance to explore the environment around me and various kinds of play. The process of learning is amazing and enjoyable, we can talk in class about the topics which we are interested in and if we have doubt, we have conference with the professor. I talk with professor, read articles, write papers and visit those amazing places in Philly. Every place can help us to understand the definition we learned. Anne and Mark find and choose those places for us, and they are very nice to help us with our work. I was too shy to explain my argument in class because I thought maybe my ideas were useless and I would waste people's time, but Anne encouraged me in all the conferences, and in class, she asked people who were shy to speak bravely. She never forgets her students, and want us to follow the class. In the part after midterm, this course introduces the use of lens, the deep play and the museum of Barnes. Actually I did not very well in the part of Zadie Smith, not only because I could not totally understand her book and her ideas, but also because I could not express my idea well. I know what is the lens, and I wanted to choose my understanding and experience as the lens to write a paper about the friendship between two women characters in the book. However, in the conference, Anne told me that she could not find my lens. And after my explanation, she told me that I had everything I need but I did not use them to make sense. In every paper, Anne wrote her suggestions, talking with me about her words and trying to improve me. In the class, when we read and tried to comprehend the definition of deep play, she asked us to talk to everyone about one of our deep plays. Sometimes, to one definition, everyone has her special understanding. Anne always collect our own special definitions, the key words, and wrote them on the blackboard to help us understand the original definition from different position. I still remember when we study the lens, after visiting the prison, Anne let us to stand in the positions of different people to compare their attitudes and reasons that caused the difference. I enjoyed this activity very much because my idea is not complete sometimes, but after reading the paragraph by others, I can find what I lost.

What impressed me is the diversity of studying ways if this course. In the trip to Philly, I improved my ability to talk, to feel, to see and to think. In the reading, although most of them are long, I could try to get the key word and understand them. In writing, I knew the importance of structure. However, this course is more like a trip to explore and student walk so fast that I need more time to improve my language to express the ideas accurately. It is not easy and I knew, after this course, I will keep learning, writing and reading. 

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