Courses! (and Coplin)

Course selection time is my FAVORITE time of the semester. Yes, I'm a nerd. Actually, I have a confession. In November, I went through the SU course catalog for the spring semester and selected which courses I wanted to take in the spring, even though I knew I wouldn't be on campus. Lame, I know.

We actually don't select our courses until we arrive in Strasbourg on January 15th. But of course I've been flipping through the academic course packet for weeks contemplating which courses I want to take.

During our 11-day travel seminar to Paris, Cologne and Amsterdam we take PSC 414, a required European Identity seminar course. Other than that, I'll be taking 12 credits while in Strasbourg as well as doing an internship--hopefully at the Council of Europe. Pretty exciting stuff!

I'm still technically an IR major and I'm attempting to finish off the requirements for the major while I'm abroad so I can be done with it.

I realized a few semesters ago that I really didn't like IR. Thank you, Coplin. My favorite Coplin quote on the topic: "How many kids are international relations majors because they like to travel?...HELLO!"

I was one of those kids.

I'm sorry for those of you who read this and are wondering "Who the HELL is Coplin?" Well, Professor Coplin is God. If you don't believe me, google him.

I took a course with him last fall called "Improving Undergraduate Education." The love affair had begun.

He encouraged me to switch my major to policy studies. I really didn't know what I was getting into, but I suspected it was something good.

I took the introductory course to the major last spring and served as a TA for the course this semester. I survived the dreaded PAF 315 this semester as well. This semester I also took a new course called the Hybrid High School Enterprise where I worked with 11 other students as Coplin's employees to develop a model for a new high school based on his "skill-focused" philosophy.

I've also been working with Coplin for the past year as his research assistant--reading, editing and proofing articles, book chapters, and blogs for him. I'm currently working with him on my Honors Capstone project--a comparative analysis of the higher education systems in the US and France.

Switching to his major was easily the greatest decision I ever made here at SU. He's changed me, for the better, and for that I owe him my life.

To the rest of you non-policy studies majors, I'm sorry. I hope your lives turn out OK. JUST KIDDING!

Anyway, I'm forced to take a break from policy studies this semester abroad. I think it might be good for me, and who knows, maybe I'll rekindle my love for IR and French.

We all know how much I love lists, so here are my top choices for courses this semester. I've narrowed it down to eight, haha! Opinions? (PS, ONE WEEK until departure!)

- FRE 325 Junior Language Usage
- PSC 400 Policy Seminar on Contemporary Europe
- ECN 300 International Political Economy
- PSC 300 Europe and the "Arc of Crisis"
- FRE 449 History of France: From WWI to the EU
- COM 400 International Communications in European Media
- HST 400 Contemporary Central & Eastern Europe
- FRE 441 France Under the Occupation