Urban Legends
Urban Legends was not a class I would have ever imagined myself taking. The class was based on the analysis of folklore and myths; what they are, why they originated, and how they can be interpreted. We analyzed everywhere from the classic tales such as Bloody Mary and the Vanishing Hitchhiker to modern day legends like 9/11 conspiracy and the Illuminati. In Urban Legends we were challenged to look at our society from an outside perspective in order to determine what the true meaning behind these stories that are so ingrained in us.
This seminar was a challenge more me in many ways. For one it was at 9 o'clock, honestly what a tragedy! Only kidding. The class was basically an English course, there was a lot of reading of legends and short essays in response to pointed questions. Being in Chemical Engineering I haven't had to write an opinion paper, or any paper for that matter, since high school! I found myself struggling to write these 750 word papers that should have been a breeze! The essay prompts would force me to take a stance and find support in societal examples.
For our final project we had to get into groups and research a myth or series of myths to present to the public in a creative way. The legends my group chose to focus on were those around the University of Cincinnati. This was a cool challenge because it allowed me to find out more about UC and think about common UC legends on a deeper level. We presented our findings as a website for all to access!
This class really encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone. I read stories I never would have, practiced creative, opinionated writing, and challenged my outlook on society. Urban Legends was a course I never thought I would take, but I am so glad that I did!
This seminar was a challenge more me in many ways. For one it was at 9 o'clock, honestly what a tragedy! Only kidding. The class was basically an English course, there was a lot of reading of legends and short essays in response to pointed questions. Being in Chemical Engineering I haven't had to write an opinion paper, or any paper for that matter, since high school! I found myself struggling to write these 750 word papers that should have been a breeze! The essay prompts would force me to take a stance and find support in societal examples.
For our final project we had to get into groups and research a myth or series of myths to present to the public in a creative way. The legends my group chose to focus on were those around the University of Cincinnati. This was a cool challenge because it allowed me to find out more about UC and think about common UC legends on a deeper level. We presented our findings as a website for all to access!
This class really encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone. I read stories I never would have, practiced creative, opinionated writing, and challenged my outlook on society. Urban Legends was a course I never thought I would take, but I am so glad that I did!