Introduction

Hello all. My name is Finn, and this is my first year at UBC, majoring in psychology. I grew up in California, and I came here because I love Vancouver and I have Canadian citizenship, meaning I pay less for school here than in the United States. In my free time I like to write, make music, surf, be with my friends, and play StarCraft 2. 

I don’t have too many expectations for this class yet. In general I’m not the kind of person who has expectations. I’m too lazy to use my brain to predict the future. Things turn out how they turn out, and if they can turn out that way without me having to exert cerebral horsepower then I’m more than fine with that. I do, however, have a generally positive disposition and feeling toward this class. I like the idea of the contract grading system, and I’m excited to read good books (I trust that the books we can choose from have been chosen with care). I’ve always loved reading. I gobbled up fiction as a child, then moved to nonfiction, mostly psychology and philosophy. Recently I’ve been rediscovering fiction. Though psychology and philosophy can be just as engrossing as fiction, they can’t be engrossing in the same way. They had lead to an abstract engrossment, while the engrossment engendered by fiction feels more embodied and lived. Fiction is a more experiential medium at its base, giving it a valuable place in our lives which are, ultimately, bundles of experiences. 

I’m particularly excited to read the texts in this class because they aren’t the kind of books I would read on my own time. This may sound like a bad thing, but in my mind I put a positive spin on it. If I keep reading whatever I feel like reading, on a whim, I’ll stay in my corner of the world. Being required to read books you wouldn’t normally consider, however, forces you to confront things you wouldn’t have otherwise confronted, and explore ideas and styles you would never have otherwise explored. 

I found the introductory lecture useful, particularly because I wasn’t very aware of the meaning of the term “romance” as used in reference to “romance studies.” I had heard of “romance countries” and “romance languages” but had never thought about what these phrases meant or where they came from, so I learned a lot from the lecture. 

I’m excited to see what this course has to offer!