For irritations I didn't need, today was by far the worst I've felt in a while.
So, I think I've mentioned that it's no outside sources allowed for my papers in this class. I'm okay with that; it's less severe than "real" research papers. But having documents to work with and knowing you have the idea about them are two different things.
So you can imagine how frustrated I felt when the discussion today, which was supposed to at least touch on about 10 readings (they're all short), fell apart within half an hour. It got off on so many tangents that we never got to the article I picked out -- we didn't even come close -- and it was evident that the professor actually lost control of the class but seemed powerless to bring it back. I'm pretty sure that one of the articles, which brought up torture, was directly to blame for this, but it was a serious downer because I was hoping to use it for my paper and now will not know if I was on the right track until it's too late.
A young psychology major named Elda, who sits next to me, agreed that the discussion today was worthless as a result of this, but even she didn't know what I conceded the following: Since there hasn't been enough real discussion on the target articles, I am at the point where I cannot go back and redo my own paper because there's not enough known information; I will have to just finish what I started the other day and that's it. It will be what it is...and that's not the way I wanted to approach something that will be 15% of my grade. But at this point I'm so (cuckoo) frustrated that I do not care.
As of yesterday my status regarding whether I need to work on Friday to help cover the week's payload was unclear, and I'm hoping now that I have to work, if for no other reason than to put the course in the rear-view mirror for 24 hours. Yes, you can argue that right now I'm on tilt.
So, I think I've mentioned that it's no outside sources allowed for my papers in this class. I'm okay with that; it's less severe than "real" research papers. But having documents to work with and knowing you have the idea about them are two different things.
So you can imagine how frustrated I felt when the discussion today, which was supposed to at least touch on about 10 readings (they're all short), fell apart within half an hour. It got off on so many tangents that we never got to the article I picked out -- we didn't even come close -- and it was evident that the professor actually lost control of the class but seemed powerless to bring it back. I'm pretty sure that one of the articles, which brought up torture, was directly to blame for this, but it was a serious downer because I was hoping to use it for my paper and now will not know if I was on the right track until it's too late.
A young psychology major named Elda, who sits next to me, agreed that the discussion today was worthless as a result of this, but even she didn't know what I conceded the following: Since there hasn't been enough real discussion on the target articles, I am at the point where I cannot go back and redo my own paper because there's not enough known information; I will have to just finish what I started the other day and that's it. It will be what it is...and that's not the way I wanted to approach something that will be 15% of my grade. But at this point I'm so (cuckoo) frustrated that I do not care.
As of yesterday my status regarding whether I need to work on Friday to help cover the week's payload was unclear, and I'm hoping now that I have to work, if for no other reason than to put the course in the rear-view mirror for 24 hours. Yes, you can argue that right now I'm on tilt.
Replies
Hey friend...I don\'t think that\'s so \'tilted\' personally...nothing wrong with stepping back from something so frustrating. Hope you get a chance to relax soon :)
Unfortunately Summer, it\'s that bad...because a good chunk of my grade depends on how well I use the sources in the supplementary text, not really having a good understanding of 70 percent of those sources we were supposed to talk about today really limits how much I can do. I basically I had to what I bitched about -- finish the thought I originally had and walk away. It will have to be what it is because there\'s no other option available, and that just really pisses me off.
Hmm, maybe you can expand on the little information you do know and have written about, and you can come up with conclusions and such? It never hurts to ask the professor. Before or after class, ask them some questions you have, and ask them to cover the basic principles and a few details. It shows you care, and your professor may be a little more lenient in this case (since teachers think highly of diligent students); if you\'re a few points away from passing, some professors supposedly may give you those few points to pass.
Also, you can ask your peers about what they know regarding the topic; you can help each other out. Maybe you can ask Elda for help?