I've just received the texts that will form the basis of my OU exam in Paris mid-June. I know it seems odd knowing them in advance, but believe me if you could see just how many texts and books are covered by this current course you would understand. There is simply no way that one can study everything in all these Blocks and knock out the monthly assignments as well - guidance is definitely necessary here. It does however make it seem very real now and getting nearer all the time.ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF EXAM TEXTS AND TOPICS.
Answer 1 question from each of the three parts:
Part 1 - text analysis
Q1 a passage for textual commentary from the French Revolution
Q2 a passage for textual commentary from Byron's Childe Harold Canto III
Q3 a passage for textual commentary from the writings of Mary Prince
Part 2 - Questions on an issue or theme related to the texts named below
Q4 Stendhal's Life of Napoleon
Q5 Schuber's Lieder
Q6 Goethe's Faust Part One
Q7 The architecture and writings of Sir John Soane
Q8 Two conceptions of Art (texts studied in Block 6, Units 24-25)
Part 3 - Interdisciplinary questions to be answered with reference to three texts of your choice on themes below
Q9 Responses to cultures beyond Europe
Q10 Ideas about science and industry
Q11 The sublime
Q12 Religion and notions of the divine
Why is this picture at the top? It's nothing to do with my course; it is an Inspiration award given to me by the lovely Contemporary Troubador over at This Romantic Life . The thing is that there are rules that go with this award but due to lack of time I'm about to break them. The rules say to link to seven or more bloggers and their blogs that have inspired you. I couldn't possibly select some over others. I find most of the blogs I read inspirational in some way or other. so - if you would like this award please leave a comment on my blog that you have taken it - I'm sure it's well deserved.
28 comments:
The areas for questions sound great to me-especially the Schubert!
You'll have plenty of time to study in Venice...........what??
:))
About the advance notification ... those are some really cool questions. I envy you the required research. Neat.
Blimey....those questions don't look very easy!! I'm thinking about going back to University (would like to study Anthropology) but I have to say that your questions are terrifying the living daylights out of me!!
I'm sure you will do brilliantly!!
C x
OOeer..you clever girl looks hard work to me. Take care Blu x
Sorry, it's all gone entirely over my little doggie head, but didn't want to be accused of lurking.xxxxx
my darling FF, my thoughts are with you. I know this doesn't help but that stuff looks awfully hard. But i know in my heart that you will do it well.
Oh Lordy, i thought you meant texts as in things on a phone. How thick is that????
er - do i get an award now? xxxxx
Bloody hellfire! How many set books do you have? YOu clearly do need the advance warning of topics so you can choose your approach. At least I only have Macchiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx & Engels and Mill (x2) to wade through!
Fascinating, if indeed exhausting - How do you ever get the chance to read fiction?!
(By the way, I also like Jojo Moyes later books!)
Reading your questions makes me need a drink and a lie down. Well done on yet more garlands and I havent read that Maggie O'Farrell book so I'll go and get a copy - cheers for the tip off.
Blimey, you Miss Brainy!
EEK sums it up for me.. As for rules - schmules I say!
Eek indeed. Better you than me.
Congratulations on the award. It is rather nice.
Rather you than me with that exam. I used to get by when I was studying by trying to learn about 70% well and leaving the 30% that I found difficult.
Not sure that my blog inspires but I am gonna take this award because it is so gorgeous and congrats to you for receiving rhis award coz your blog is most definately inspiring.
Now on the subject of
The advanced notification of exan texts and topics" -
all I can say is...........
Que?
All this studying seems just up my alley........just the sort of thing I love except they go and make it complicated with too much to do......
However utterly rewarding I think.
Do you ever get to talk about it with real people?
That would be the best bit for me.
wow...and l thought art history OU courses were hard....I have looked ta this course, but l am drawn back again to art analysis...whenever l get the time again to do a substantial course....
I am disappointed with the OU in the last few years, its changed so much and is basically a correspondence course these days. When l had my first year A103 in 1999 and i went to university in sterling for the residential..it was mind blowing l wanted to go full-time...now life is in the way..and its unrealistic..super though that you manage all this too!!
I know the amount of work that these course require...l'm spoilt for choice..good luck, at least you know which modules to rally realistically cram for...
all the best
Er, that looks remarkably difficult. As a young retiree I ought to study something to keep my brain active, but looking at what you're doing - rather you than me!
Crikey - those questions make my brain swivel!
Good God FF..how do you do it! I struggle with the house and the children. The blogging comes in at the very last. I've also got two websites to write but nothing compared to this. Bonne chance! (I'm sure you'll do fine. Hx...PS..we are just getting to "The Killers" and we live here...)
Desert - hiya sweetie. I know nothing about Schubert although I did The Trout at school (I certainly could have phrased that a bit better)
Bill,yes but it's not the questions which, I have to admit,would be lovely but a bit too much of an advantage. It's just the texts from which the questions will be drawn.
Carol -All I know of Anthropology is from a book of Margaret Mead's I once read. Rather you than me (just what a lot of people are probably thinking when they see about my course no doubt). Thanks for encouragement.
Blu - Ta. x
Henry, you little lurker, you. See, I did it anyway :)
Jenny - you do make me laugh. Please take the award as a gift from moi to toi.
CA - the first three TMA's bear no relation to the exam texts. They were Mozart/Don G; politics and paintings of Napoleon/Wiberforce's evangelicalism. They could have included those in the exam texts.Tricksy lot of academics. Of your lot, Rousseau is the only one I know a little bit about. Good luck - it would be much too abstract for me, although I did enjoy the book 'Sophie's World'.
WONI - oh good, a book tip. thankyou. I'm after recommendations all the time.I have to read fiction because otherwise all the other stuff just goes round and round my head before I go to sleep. Occasionally I'll read an OU book to help me drift off but only when I feel extra-anxious that I'm not going to do well with the next essay.
Lulu - I feel confident that you'll be as riveted as I was with the O'Farrell.
Dumdad - ah, but that is it - I'm not brainy, not at all. I'm articulate, yes, and I have a big vocabulary but I do not have a lot of things that make people brainy. I can't read maps and I can't do those Mensa type things - what figure comes next. Mr FF has all those skills however so he makes up for my poor show in mind mapping or whatever it's called
LadyFi - yes, let's chuck out the rule books.
Ian - eek eek - I sound like the librarian in Mr Pratchett's books,
cheshire wife - please take the award. I just didn't want to single out particular blogs as being inspirational. I didn't want for nobody to take it (oops, a double negative.
This last year I just don't know what has happened to me re the learning and this urge to do well. It honestly never used to be like this. At school I was a slacker except in English and all through life I've coasted along picking up bits and pieces but nothing in depth. This is a new me.
Mama - I'm so glad this award will be on your blog. You do inspire me and I think you are lovely and your blog is as well.
Elizabeth, no, unfortunately, no real people - just the students online on the OU forum. If I was doing it in the UK there would be face to face tutorials each month. As it is, mine take place over the phone.
Last year I actually did meet and developed a friendship with a lady doing the same course and who also lived in Brittany. However, she is in the middle of making a documentary for Channel 4 and spends her time with that these days.I think I owe a lot of my drive to her because she got 95% for a couple of her assignments and it made me raise my game.
FFF - hiya. I also did A103. that was my first proper OU course, although I did a basic French one when we first moved out here. The trouble with these multi-disciplinary humanities courses is the range they cover is much too vast. I would never be able to read everything on this course. I'd like to do a residential week sometime. Mr FF is encouraging me to go to the UK for a weekend revision course before the exam but I'll have been in Venice for a week around then and I think I'll have a shortage of the old readies.
Troy - we've got to keep the brain going - it's one of the reasons I wanted to study. I'm also a young retiree and it is my fear of getting decrepit that keeps me going like this. I'm going to keep on with the OU for as many years as I can.
Lane - I just want to do better this exam than I did with the last exam (62% for last year's effort with an overall end of course mark at 77%). That's my goal, just to try and do better each year.
Hadriana - yes, but your day to day life is probably much busier than mine. I have the house and garden to look after (although Mr FF is by no means a slacker when it comes to that -he's wonderful); there are the dogs; shopping; the usual stuff, but I am lucky that i do have a lot of time to just call my own.
Blimey you lot, only Mama took the award. Please someone come and take it.
I have just tagged you to write 10 honest things about yourself (see today's post - though as you can see I still can't do the wretched links!).
Blimey! I am glad you get advance notice! Looks like you need it! WOW!
Golly. Gosh. I can barely read through the list.
All I can say Ms Fancy is - BLOODY HELL!
CA - ooo - another tag. What with my six random things, my seven random things et al is there anything left to divulge?. Thanks though
justme - some days I feel incredibly confident that I'll be able to pull it off and others I think that I'll just scrape the 40% required to pass it.
marc - it's only one question from each section.'only' - ha bloody ha. :)
ladyj - I knew it wasn't going to be easy but the wide range of subjects is a bit overwhelming. I feel very dense and stupid and lacking in confidence today.
This exam is pretty comprehensive. Is it for a bachelors degree? No one can say you didn't earn your degree when you finish this. My PhD exam was three questions. One hour (?) for each on the areas of theory, narrative and nonfiction. We wrote essays on individual computers all together in one small room. You have a lot of study to do.
I'm doing (is that a verb?) an OU French course for beginners and find the stuff previous to actually 'doing' (still a verb?) the course painfully complex and has really put me off doing (are yes, it is a verb re course LL0752#module 321 page 15 deleted, sorry our mistake)the course. Compris?
Anyway enjoy your chip cob.
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