posted
I'm a student at Southern Virginia University, I'll be taking two classes from Scott Card this semester. I was wondering if any of you boot camp or writing class veterans could tell me what to expect.
Talk about lucky, neh?
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I'm pretty sure Scott is coming at his SVU class quite differently than he did Bootcamp. First of all, he has a bit more time. Thus, there will be a large amount of reading (short fiction, I'd presume). I also suspect he won't really follow his lecture notes (if he has them) very closely, but will allow conversation and discussion to wander organically. So basically, expect to participate, to be interested, to learn something, and to be more involved and engaged as a thinking being.
In short: don't cheat off the guy sitting next to you.
Posts: 92 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Thanks for the advice, and I don't plan to. As soon as I found out he would be teaching at my school I asked what the prerequisits for his classes would be. I got those out of the way my very first semester, and registered for his classes the day that registration went online. I didn't take any chances on this opportunity.
I had occasion once to meet OSC when he attended a play at SVU that I was performing in. I told him that Ender's Shadow was my favorite book of his. Then he thanked me for not saying that my favorite was the first one that he wrote twenty years ago.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Are you laughing at the incredibly bad grammar of that sentence? Because you should have seen it before I fixed it. My brain was really really not working when I wrote it.
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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I'm in both of them, next semester he'll be teaching the fiction of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, I'll probably miss that because I'll be on my mission.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Man that sounds really cool, we don't offer anything like that at my university. When do you start/when will you know what kind of books you'll have to read for the sci-fi one?
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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Classes start on the twentyfifth. I'll be taking the Writing popular fiction class every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:15- 2:15. The "Topics- Science Fiction" will be Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30- 3:45, and on Wednesday from 6:30 pm-7:30 pm.
He hasn't posted any sort of reading list yet.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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He gave a copy of "I Am the Cheese" to my dad, which I've already read, he also gave my dad a copy of "Orson Scott Card, Writer of the Terrible Choice"
One nice thing is that my dad is the English Program coordinator, so he talks with OSC, or "Scott Card" alot. What's really cool though is that in one of OSC's articles he calls my dad a "great teacher." I'm also taking a class from Robert Stoddard, who has worked with OSC before. That class is Acting IV.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I know I'm so lucky, this is a once in a life-time opportunity. One of the other things that makes me so lucky, is that my dad works there, so tuition is free. plus I'm living at home so I don't have to pay for housing. If that's not luck nothing is.
Now before you get too jealous remember that my dad is a teacher, and that the only reason his children get to go to school for free is because they probably realise that the salary they are paying him wouldn't be nearly enough to send all of his kids to school.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Zarex, you can quit that whining right now, cuz it's not making me want to deck you any less for all those mean things you've said.
I live half-way around the world, and I'll NEVER be able to go to boot camp or take his class or anything. And you're just spouting off about all that mean stuff. It's just. Not. Nice.
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Zarex, its called sarcasm. Its a way of saying your bothered by something without really saying it.
Posts: 2207 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Though the student body is 90-95% LDS, the school is not officially affiliated with the church. Though the lack of church subsidy means the tuition is on par with the average private school (meaning out the wazoo,) IMO the non-official connections make SVU much more desirable that any of the BYUs. For one, the school can hire anyone they want to. SVU has many professors from various religious backgrounds. By contrast, BYU has very few, if any, non-LDS professors. Also (and I'm treading very carefully here so as not to piss off any BYU grads or Utah residents) BYU has become a much more conservative school in the past few years. Because the school is in the middle of Mormon Country (IIRC the Provo Area is 90% LDS) there is more of a tendency to be close-minded and less open to non-Mormon cultural influences. Notice this is a blanket statement that does not apply to all. To contrast, the church population in Beuna Vista consisted of a small branch before SVU came along, thus making college more of a multi-cultural experience.
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
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BTW Zarek, are you involved in the theatre program at SVU? I saw Fiddler on the Roof in May, and it was wonderful. I also intend on seeing The Importance of Being Earnest if I get the chance.
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Do you go to that school? You seem to know an awful lot about it. And you are right about the teachers from various backgrounds. My English Comp. Teacher was a quaker!
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Don't know her, but Radford is a pretty small school--not as small as SVU!--so I may run into her.
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Color me green! What I wouldn't give to be in your shoes. (For many reasons... *sigh*) Here's wishing you a wonderful year!
Posts: 68 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Thank you. I can't wait to actually get into class with him. I'll probably be posting descriptions of my classes (Including his) on my livejournal during the year.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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SVU recruited me a bit my senior year. My mom said that they called her up and said that I was eligible for a scholarship that would make the price comparable to BYU. Since I was a good (but not overly fabulous) student with lots of extracurriculars, I wondered how many others would be eligible for such a scholarship.
As it was, It was a school I'd never heard of and I don't think they were acredited yet (curiously, how is that process going?), and I was accepted to BYU, so I went West instead of East.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I am absolutely dying of jealousy. I can't believe I don't get to take that class. I must find a way.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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SVU is now fully accredited. Will-- are you actually at SVU now? If so, are you a freshmen? I'm a freshmen orientation leader and it would be cool to know wether or not you were in my group.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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No, I'm just taking the one class at SVU -- I'm at another local college. I met with my orientation leader today, and our classes start Monday.
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I remember seeing on the SVU brochure that dorm arrangements can include a stable for your pony. <--- doesn't have a pony.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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That was a long time ago. SVU used to have an equestrian program, but it took a lot of upkeep and cost a lot of money. So they got rid of the horses and turned the stables into an athletic facility.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Indeed. Will, who are your orientation group leader/s? What teacher did you have for your break out section?
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Well the first lesson was a bit of a disappointment since OSC is in L.A. and as such was unable to attend, but he did hand down a ginormous reading assignment through another teacher.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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The reading assignment was to read OSC's book on characterization, before the next class session.
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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<--- doesn't have a pony.
