<p>Someone sent me this list of questions. Here are my responses.</p>
<p>A. Does the description online really convey what the USC English program is like?</p>
<p>Depends what description you’re talking about.</p>
<p>[USC</a> College Department of English](<a href=“http://dornsife.usc.edu/engl/programs/undergraduate.cfm]USC”>http://dornsife.usc.edu/engl/programs/undergraduate.cfm)</p>
<p>As far as this goes, I feel that the general description given on the page above is the ideal, and it can be achieved if you put in the effort and develop a rapport with your teachers. If you sit in the back of class and shop for shoes the whole period (I see this even with people sitting in the front of the class…) you get a lot less out of it than if you’re interacting with the material, listening to what your prof’s saying, taking exhaustive notes, etc. </p>
<p>B. Were USC’s basic English classes interesting, and did you feel you got a lot out of them?</p>
<p>Heck yes. I was fascinated and inspired by my intro-level English classes so much that I wanted to jump into research the semester after I took them. A shift in career aims and a decision based on a desire to ultimately be practical occurred which prevented me from doing so, but my heart is still a little sad that I didn’t do it. </p>
<p>One way I really encourage you to get more out of your classes and keep you actively reading and engaged in the material: take the extra-credit JEP (Joint Educational Project) option if it’s offered, which it is for many basic classes in English and other majors. More info about JEP, even if it’s not officially offered for your class per se you can still participate in your spare time. </p>
<p>[Joint</a> Educational Project > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences](<a href=“http://dornsife.usc.edu/joint-educational-project/]Joint”>http://dornsife.usc.edu/joint-educational-project/)</p>
<p>C. What classes have I taken with T.O.? Sample class size.</p>
<p>I’m pretty much done with my T.O. experience at this point; you take a total of six classes based around certain themes, as the website tells you. </p>
<p>Thematic Option Curriculum</p>
<p>The Thematic Option Honors curriculum consists of interdisciplinary courses taught around distinct themes. These are augmented with linked writing classes, individual writing tutorials and an annual conference to encourage undergraduate research. Select a course from the right to see sample descriptions.</p>
<p>Your Freshman first semester you are obligated to take…</p>
<p>Core 102: Culture and Values
and
Core 111: A writing seminar paired with Core 102. </p>
<p>The next semester ideally you would take…</p>
<p>Core 112: Independent writing seminar
and either Core 101, Core 103, or Core 104. </p>
<p>Over the course of the rest of your college experience, you take whichever Core classes you did not do in your freshman year as you can fit them in. </p>
<p>My courses:</p>
<p>CORE 102: A class centered around the spirit of love and Greek myth, taught by an English professor. We read things like The Bacchae, Twelfth Night, Rainer Maria Rillke, William Wordsworth, and Phillip Pullman. This was reading/response heavy. </p>
<p>CORE 111: This was paired with CORE 102 and thus we drew upon the same readings for both courses. This was reading/response heavy. </p>
<p>CORE 103: A class centered around the history and ethical progression of science in general, taught by an anthropology/sociology professor. We read things by people like Rachel Carson, Oppenheimer, Weber, Wildavsky, Robert McNamara, and other figures. This was independent-research heavy. </p>
<p>CORE 101: A class centered around aural cultures from around the world, as well as the science of sound, taught by an English professor. We did more listening than reading, but we did read, among many other things, Virginia Woolf, Shakespeare, and Walter Benjamin. We went and saw several live performances, including Nixon in China, and I had dinner with a poet through the course. This was independent-research heavy. </p>
<p>CORE 104: A class centered around Don Quixote and Los Angeles, taught by a history professor. The cumulative project was a huge research project in which we did some mapping with a new online program called Hypercities. We read the whole, unabridged Don Quixote as well as various articles and several films like Chinatown and Crash. This was independent-research heavy. </p>
<p>CORE 112: My class drew largely upon Freud, Lacan, Jeffrey Eugenides, and various horror short stories. This was reading/response heavy. </p>
<p>ALL of my classes also drew heavily upon at least 3-4 films, live performances, and/or similar experiences. </p>
<p>D. Have I had a social life outside of T.O. and my major. </p>
<p>Heck yes. Currently I’m averaging about 50 hours of community service a month aside from my studies, and I’m increasingly active in my church. My life’s a blur, but I love every minute. </p>
<p>E. Are you able to manage T.O. and English majors?</p>
<p>Yes, I was, successfully.</p>
<p>F. Do you know anything about studying abroad with T.O. and English?</p>
<p>They recently started an advertising campaign for a new program in Belfast which they “designed with TO students specifically in mind.” As far as English goes, definitely there are opportunities if you choose to take them, particularly in England. </p>
<p>Hope this is helpful!</p>