That is the question.
It has been a while since I blogged. I returned to Edmonton a week ago and was immediately propelled to the first day of classes the following day on Monday. I am currently taking five classes and they are listed below:
HIST 481: The History of Women in Traditional and Late Imperial China
HIST 394: History of Astronomy and Cosmology, Stonehenge to the Space Age
HIST 390: Imperial China from C. 600 - 1911
CHINA 323: Early Chinese Literature in Translation
CLASS 102: Greek and Roman Mythology
I have to write essays for all of my classes with the exception of CHINA 323 where we will be required to write a series of in-class essays for both the midterm and the final exam. I have Professor Jay for two of my classes -- HIST 481 and HIST 390. HIST 481 is one of two 400-level seminars that I am required to take in order to graduate with a degree in history. At the U of A, all history majors must take at least 6 units of 400-level history courses in order to obtain a degree in that field of studies. This seminar is nowhere near as difficult as my comparative history seminar last term. That seminar was truly, as one of my grad student classmates from HIST 494 coined it, the course from hell. In addition to being a joint grad/undergrad seminar, the focus of HIST 494 last term was on the economic history of Asia/China and Europe. I have never been a big fan of economics and economic history and my grasp of economic concepts is weak so that course was a killer for me and for a large majority of the students in that class.
The topic for HIST 481 is certainly more interesting than bland old economic history with Patricia Ebrey's Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung [Song] Period being our main textbook. Ebrey is a Professor of History and Chinese Studies at the University of Washington and is a leading and highly respected scholar in her field. Although the focus is on women in the Sung period, there is a continuity and persistence to the attitudes and treatment of Chinese women in subsequent centuries prior to the twentieth century.
In addition to Ebrey's book, there are 18 articles that are listed as part of our readings for this seminar. I have browsed through the book and was mesmerized by the writing. Strange as it may sound, I am looking forward to reading through the pages. Unlike the comparative history seminar last term, the large majority of the class are undergraduate students with the exception of one grad student who happened to be in the same seminar with me last term. It was slightly comforting to discover that so many of the people I have met and became acquainted with in previous classes are also taking HIST 481. At least there are familiar faces. Many of the students had Professor Jay before and were basically following her around and trying to get into as many of her classes as they can. She really is the best professor I have ever had and if you go to the U of A and plan to take a course in Chinese history, you must take her classes. I'll guarantee that you will have fun and your mind flooded with knowledge. Her powerpoint presentations are superb! Or should I say da bomb?
Added to the pressure of gathering information for the 20 page research essay for HIST 481 which I believe I will enjoy writing, I am in the process of applying to library school. I have thought about my future and I am very sure that I want to spend two more years in school working towards a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS). Hey. It is a government job, it pays well and it offers a large amount of stability. It's a low-key and low-stress field. Plus, I think it is something that would be well-suited to my personality, my nature and my interests. I have done some research on various ALA (American Library Association) accredited schools and have decided to apply to five: UBC, U of A, McGill, University of Western Ontario and San Jose State University (SJSU). My first choice is UBC mainly because it will be cheaper to go to grad school in my hometown. At this point, I am not sure where my career will take me to so it will be ideal to spend as much time with my family and Lucky as possible. That said, in the event that I do get a job as a librarian in another city that is of a considerable distance from Greater Vancouver, I won't ever have to live with the regret of not having spent as much time with them at home as I wish I could.
Since my schedule this term is lighter than my term from hell last year, I have begun to volunteer at the Children's Department at the St. Albert Public Library and as a Library Assistant at Profiles Public Art Gallery in St. Albert. For those of you who do not live in Edmonton, St. Albert is a district in Edmonton. For those of you who live in Vancouver, the relationship between Edmonton and St. Albert is akin to that of Vancouver and say, Burnaby.
I have talked to two of the librarians who work at the St. Albert Public Library and having them answer my questions about librarianship has given me much insight on the field. Although I know I will enjoy volunteering at the library, the position at the art gallery intrigues me more because I will be designing a database and catalogue of the gallery's small library collection with another volunteer. The whole thing will be done on FileMaker and it will be interesting. I met with the other volunteer, brainstormed with her and completed the tutorial on my first day yesterday and made some notes. It is going to be fun! I just know it! I can't wait until we get started!
Canada doubles tsunami aid to $80 million
At least we are finally doing something. That sounds more like it. My parents finally got around to donating some money towards the earthquake disaster fund on Saturday. Any little bit helps even if we can't physically be there to help the victims of the disaster.
U.S Raises Tsunami Pledge to $350 Million
Canada contributes $40 Million
France is pledging $57 million, Britain $95 million and Sweden $75.5 million. Our donation seems quite paltry by comparison to these other industrialized nations.