“Give me a U! Give me a C! Give me a T! What’s that spell? A U-C-T! A U-C-T” – A frequent cheer on the UCT campus
Two weeks have gone by in school now and classes are in full swing! Classes are quite different at UCT. Students spend 3 years as an undergraduate. From the beginning you choose a specific major. Students have very few elective credits and there are no breadth requirements. All classes meet 4 or 5 days a week. Talk about different!
I am taking 3 history classes at UCT, and 1 elective anthropology class.
My Anthropology class is called Words, Deeds, Bones, and Things. The class looks at human evolution through archaeology, social anthropology, and linguistics. Our professor (who insists we call him Mugsy) is particularly interested in the evolution of culture.
My 3 history classes are called “War and Society”, “Africa: Genocide Experiences”, and “An History of Ancient Egypt”. I like my third year classes a lot because they are taught in more of a seminar style.
In my “War and Society” class we are currently exploring the idea of violence. We have spent many lectures debating whether or not human beings are inherently violent. We’ve also been discussing the relationship between gender and violence. Already I find the class challenging my perceptions about warfare.
My African genocide class is predominantly comprised of Americans. Generally at UCT, if the class has the word “Africa” in it, the students will be exchange students. We’ve spent the first 2 weeks debating the definition of “genocide”. Much like in my “War and Society” class, we are encouraged to debate each other and make our own conclusions rather than simply reading text. The professor (who is Indian) ends every lecture with a protest song. Its a nice way to end the day!
I am slightly nervous because the classes are structured very different. UCT students have described the semester as having a low work load – until the last month. My finals are worth 50% of my grades – yikes!
Luckily the low work load gives us a chance to explore our environment and participate in societies (clubs)!
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