Classes begin today at the University of Pittsburgh, though I don’t have any classes to teach or take today. Last week was a relatively busy one, with several orientations and meetings. Some, like the workshop/orientations for Intro to Performance teachers were fun, while the all day TA Orientation was not.
So, my semester looks like this:
I’m teaching two sections of Intro to Performance on Tue/Thu 11-12:15 and Wed 6-8:30. I’m also working as a grad assistant for the marketing department of the Theatre Arts department, which I’ll be doing on Wednesday from 9:30 – 2:30. For classes, I’m taking a class on the later Shakespeare plays with Attilo Favorini on Tuesdays at 3, Materials & Methods with Bruce McConachie on Wednesdays at 3, and then a seminar with Lisa Jackson-Schebetta on Thursdays at 3. I have Mondays and Fridays available for reading/writing days. I’m very clear that I’m not considering those “days off” but very much working days and I will likely spend at least one if not both on campus doing work in the library or the Cathedral of Learning. I do, however, greatly appreciate my schedule and will probably manage a couple of long weekend trips to see friends and family during the course of the semester.
What does this mean for ThisThus.com? Now that I’m actually in the process of getting my PhD, I’ll be attempting to post here on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays throughout each semester. As I mention in the About this Site page, I will be offering up a variety of topics, from emotional responses to my academic work, to tips and tricks, to links and discussions that are pertinent to both my discipline (theatre and performance) and broad pedagogical/academic interests.
The next few years will be exciting, challenging, sometimes difficult, and always interesting and I would be honored to have you along for the ride. I also hope some of what I can offer here may provide information and inspiration for your own journey, whether you are attending graduate school or not.
Thanks for being here and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or two and share your own experiences/thoughts/problems/interests.