Introduction to Carl
My name is Carl and I have come to OU all the way from Alpharetta, Georgia. This is my fifth year here in Norman and I plan on walking across the graduation stage this upcoming May. I am a Letters major and have furthered my love of reading, writing and history here in the past few years. One thing that has really developed in me here as a result of my studies is an interest in philosophy and the history of it. While the amount of history someone can learn is, of course, infinite, it seems that in my college education there has been a lot of overlap. I am in my fifth semester of Latin and, as a result, have gathered a hefty amount of information surrounding the history of Rome. This semester, as I take classes such as Dr. Harper's Origins of Christianity, I have been shocked at the amount of relevance this Roman information has alongside other courses. Already this semester we have learned about Herod and his Roman installation as a client-king. It is wildly interesting to me to be able to contextualize this with the information I have learned about where Rome was at this point in time. Thinking about Marc Anthony, King Herod, and Octavian all operati
ng in different areas during the same period of time has me in awe.
ng in different areas during the same period of time has me in awe.
(Statue of a Ptolemaic Queen, possibly Cleopatra VII, currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art)
Regardless of the usefulness of information surrounding how Herod became the King of Judea, the utility of my education has been piecing together knowledge that otherwise would seem unrelated. I worked on a project last semester that looked at the connection between the emancipation of Russian serfs in the mid 19th century and the fact that only a small portion of young Americans today know how to sew. This type of critical thinking will enable me and my peers to better understand the problems of today's world and contextualize them along the backdrop of human history.
Hi, Carl! You've come all the way from Georgia? That's so far! I'm only a two hour drive away from home, and I'm always homesick. I can't imagine how bad it would be if I was multiple states away from home. I think it's really neat that you're able to relate all the information you've learned as a letters major. I'm not a big reader, but I definitely understand the importance of reading and relating stories, ideas, and history to each other. I'm excited to see what you have to say in your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi, Carl! It's really cool to hear that you are graduating soon because I am very jealous, only being a sophomore! I am from Oklahoma, so it's really cool to see someone come from out of state and be successful here at OU. Dr. Harper is a great professor and I hope you enjoy his classes, as he is a fellow Oklahoman that went to Harvard and Oxford, so soak it in as much as possible. Enjoy your semester, man!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Carl, I was so excited to read that you are in Kyle Harper's Origins of Christianity class. How wonderful! I am such a fan; please tell him hello from me, okay? And here's proof of just how old I am: Kyle used to come to my Latin and Greek reading groups when he was an undergrad at OU. So, I'm not quite as old as the ancient Romans, but almost, ha ha. Anyway, he is a truly great scholar and a great teacher too; I am excited for all that you will get to learn in that class, and I hope you will find good echoes between that class and the work you are doing in this class too! And as I think you have guessed already, I am a big fan of Latin also. I don't get to teach Latin at OU now, but I still have a Latin blog because Latin is just too much fun; I can't stop: Latin is addictive! So, if you would like some Latin LOLCats to use for Latin practice, you will find them there: Bestiaria Latina. The LOLCats are funny, but it's serious at the same time: I really like Latin mottos and proverbs, those little bits of Latin wisdom, some of which have been going strong for millennia. And when you can actually understand them in Latin, even more of the word power comes through! Vivat lingua latina!
ReplyDeleteHey, Carl!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the (almost) graduation! And what a neat field of study to get a degree in -- Latin (and the Roman Christianity that it influences) has always fascinated me. I'm a history major, but I agree with you that the amount of overlap between courses is noticeable. Obviously, they want that for history students so that we can develop areas of specialization, but it helps when you've heard the info before in another class or two. Good luck this semester!
Hey Carl,
ReplyDeleteGood Job on making it to your last semester! I am also in my last semester here and Norman and can't wait for graduation. I think the love for writing and the love for history are great when combined. It seems like you are really enjoying your classes during your last semester! Good luck!
Hi Carl!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on reaching the near end of college. I've never been much of a history person, but I think it's really cool how psyched you are about those historical connections! I think it's definitely true that it's important to know where we came from if we're going to do better in the future. I'm looking forward to reading your stories!
Hi Carl,
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool that you are from Georgia. You don’t hear that from very many students at OU. What made you decide to come all the way to Norman, Oklahoma? I don’t know much about Latin but how cool that you have completed five semesters of it. I bet you are close to being fluent. I’m so glad you have enjoyed and learned so much your classes.
Hey there Carl!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome that we have all of that in common! I too am in my last semester here at The University of Oklahoma and am really excited for graduation! It is really cool that you are from Georgia, that is one of the few students from Georgia that I have seen! I look forward to your future stories!
Hi Carl,
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty cool that you have prior knowledge to apply to this class. I am assuming that you were able to learn a bit about Roman mythology in this classes. I see you are a letters major, so are you planning to study law? I know a lot of letters majors do. Law school is something I have considered recently.
Good luck,
Brady
Hi, Carl! It's really cool to hear that you are graduating soon because I am very jealous, only being a sophomore! I am from Oklahoma, so it's really cool to see someone come from out of state and be successful here at OU. Dr. Harper is a great professor and I hope you enjoy his classes, as he is a fellow Oklahoman that went to Harvard and Oxford, so soak it in as much as possible. Enjoy your semester, man!
ReplyDeleteHI Carl,
ReplyDeleteI bet being from Georgia and experiencing the weather we have now is really hard! It is so cold all the time, and that's a person who is born and raised in Oklahoma is saying! I want to hear more about your story and hold you ended up in Oklahoma. It is always interesting to hear how other people come to this state! Also, your project from last semester seems really cool. It is always fascinating to see how certain parts of history can affect our culture today. I can only sew a little, definitely not like my grandmother. Good luck with everything this semester, and you will do such great things after graduation!
Hi Carl!
ReplyDeleteContrats on your upcoming graduation! You seem really passionate about your major and everything you get to learn, it seems like you've really enjoyed your time here at OU! I'm sure Norman is pretty different from what life is like in Georgia, and it's really cool that you chose to come here from so far away. I hope you get to continue reading and writing a lot in whatever career path you chose to pursue. Also, I hope you get to visit Rome one day! I was fortunate to be able to visit a few summers ago and it is truly stunning. There is history everywhere you turn. My mom and I were walking around one evening, got lost, and ended up at the Colosseum! All of Europe is pretty amazing, actually. I hope you get to experience it sometime in the future! Looking forward to everything you'll contribute this semester!
-Moriah C.
Hi Carl,
ReplyDeleteYou know, lately, I have also taken an interest in philosophy and history. One of my friends, who is a history buff, recommended to me Dan Carlin's Hardcore history podcast and it is really good. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in history. I've also been reading on the history of philosophy, really interesting stuff!
Anyways, I look forward reading your stories the rest of this semester.
Hey Carl,
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for attending university here all the way from Georgia. At first I thought you meant the country Georgia until I had googled your hometown, haha. I hope you are getting much from this course thus far. I definitely am enjoying your stories and am curious to see how your letters background translates to different stories on your blog!
-Lance J.
Hi Carl,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you are a Letters major. In the past few weeks, I have heard of four people being a Letters major when I had never heard of it before. I think that is pretty crazy because I have basically gotten through three years of college before hearing about people in this major. I am surprised that the project you mentioned went so far back to connect two dots between then and modern sewing. I never would have thought to do that!
Carl, it was really great getting to know you some through your introduction post. I think it is so cool that we are able to interact even though we are in two separate classes (I'm in Indian Epics). I think it is cool that having an online class like this allows us to do that. Again, it was great getting to know you some and the best of luck to you on your future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteHi, Carl!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your ALMOST graduation! You seem like a very bright guy, and I'm excited to see what you do after graduation. I think that it is super cool that you're able to relate all of your history knowledge. Contextualization is one of the most important historical thinking skills, and it seems that you have mastered it! Many people don't see the relevance of history, but I think it is important for developing critical thinking skills and examining modern problems. Have a great semester!
Hey Carl,
ReplyDeleteI have already commented and said hey beforehand, but I thought it would be cool to check in and see how you're doing! You are so close to graduation at this point, which must feel incredible and like a weight off of your shoulders! I can't wait to hear about advancements in history theory and commentary and remember I was in a class with you in college! Keep doing great things and I hope you enjoy graduating!
Hey Carl,
ReplyDeleteIt was really cool to get to know a little bit about you from your introduction post. Congrats on almost being at graduation. We are getting so close and I feel as though my time is also coming, although I still have one more year. I have a good friend who is also letters and he seems to really enjoy it. I know there are a lot of different opportunities career wise with that major so good luck moving forward.
Hello, Carl!
ReplyDeleteI have never met anyone from Alpharetta, Georgia before! I am glad to hear that you are finally graduating this semester! It must be a hectic time for you right now! It seems that you really love what you are majoring in, and, if I am completely honest, you are learning about a lot of things that I have never even heard of. I look forward to reading some of your stories!
Hi there Carl!
ReplyDeleteI think it's so cool how the rest of your coursework kind of lines up with the things you're learning in this class! It would be super interesting to see how all of that stuff overlaps and influences each other. I'm a social work major, so this is kind of outside of my typical course material. It's nice that you have such a strong framework for appreciating all of the mythology and folklore that we read in this class!
-Kate
Hi Carl,
ReplyDeleteI am also a Letters major, but I am also dual majoring with Religious Studies. My primary focus has been in Roman Religion and Islam and I can see what you mean with the correlation between Christianity and Ancient Rome. I took a course this semester called Introduction to Christianity and when we talked about Rome, I was astounded that I never put the pieces together before. Anyways, it is nice to partially meet you and I hope that you do well on finals. Also, good luck with graduating!
Hi Carl!
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken Dr. Harper's course yet, but I'm hoping to within the next couple semesters. What did you think? Do you recommend it? Everyone that I have talked to tells me its really hard, but well worth it. Just wanted to see what your take on it was. Anyway, I'm a little upset with myself that I didn't make it to your introduction sooner than the last week of class. Classics and Letters majors are few and far between outside of the Carnegie Building. It's always nice to find out when someone else shares in my interests. Better late than never, I guess. And an early congratulations!