Nakedness within Lectures 1 & 2

Shalom. Thought I may as well get this on the ball as soon as I can so I don't continue to put it off. Yeah that did not happen, this post sat in my drafts for four more days. Oh well. Obviously this is awkward for a lot of people, including myself. I already have a somewhat blog so I am not entirely new to this but the thought that 400+ other students that will walk past you knowing you but not knowing it's you (if that makes sense) is incredibly daunting.

Please wait patiently whilst I decide what I am going to write and how I am going to write it...

Okay.

Being my third year at university going into the first lecture was just another day in life. After the assessment was discussed I became afraid of this course. I have only done politics classes before this semester. The realisation that I do not have to think about tutorial presentations for copious amounts of readings and extensive essays makes me feel uneasy. Some people may be thinking, why would you be afraid? The reason is because I am so used to extensive amounts of research and stress related to my assessments that trying to relax to write a blog is actually stressing me out. I know. I'm stupid. This is my sixth or seventh attempt at writing a first blog and I will most probably be moving onto my eighth very soon.

The second lecture was a completely new experience in my university life. I have never received jellybeans for the sake of an illustration before which was a much welcomed experience. Learning about 'paywalls' and the changing face of news websites to make you subscribe to view content is not a new experience for me. Whilst I was listening I realised, I am already paying for my news content. Yes, I am already subscribed to the International Herald Tribune - New York Times. My subscription costs me around $6.50 a week and now that I think about it, I feel a little ripped off. Being a political science and public policy major I need to be on top of my game. I like to know everything about foreign affairs and political campaigns and my subscription encourages me to do so because I pay for it. I am now confused and stuck on the question, 'Should I pay for something that I perviously had the right to for free?' Ironically since the second lecture I have only read about one article with my subscription. An article I could get for free if I would just take the 20 free articles a week they allow you to have. Great.

Hopefully as the semester progresses I become more confident in my blogging and less stressed about writing it. I also hope I come up with a reasonable answer the question I posed above. Join me on my journey. Or don't.