Nearing the end of the semester, I reflect back on this Literature class and our Anthology project with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the class as a whole, and I greatly appreciate the vast amount of information that I obtained in such a short time. Although, this information certainly came at a cost – that being the large amount of reading! I feel as if it were well worth it though. All the historical information that I learned from the first half of the semester was a lot of help with the Anthology project, especially as I attempted to decide on the basic framework of my individual project.
In contrast though, despite the usefulness of the all the information that I learned during the first half of the semester, I do believe that all of the reading and studying took up too much time. The Anthology project is a massive undertaking, especially for college students like myself and my classmates who have never done such a project before. For a project like this, a lot of time is needed, as well as a lot of professor guidance and feedback. However, most of the precious and much needed time for this project was used during the first half of the semester when we were studying the history of the early colonists and our beloved state.
On a more personal note, I like the Anthology project because it is genuinely interesting, which is something that can rarely be said for an assignment in an upper-level English class. I have so greatly enjoyed getting to dive into my state and city’s history, learning more about my roots and home, and piecing together bits of history that I never before connected. I have found it utterly fascinating to work with the writings from so long ago and see first-hand the documents of the time.
Nevertheless, I have had a lot of trouble with my project. Our headnote drafts were due on Thursday, but I, in the great Williams-style, changed my topic the day before, leaving myself with few secondary sources, and a “deer-in-headlights” feeling that I had no idea what to write. Now, I am days away from the deadline of our final headnotes and I am feeling just as lost as before, just much more stressed and panic-stricken.
Basically, if I were to change this assignment or do it again, I would recommend allotting more time for the research, work, and questioning of the project overall. I feel as if all of us – even Professor VZ – are feeling the effects of the daunting due date. Not only would some more time help ease the minds of everyone, but also it would allow for better quality work from the students. I know in my case, it definitely would.
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