Learning Record: A1, A2, Goals
February 2, 2006
Learning Record A1
Meyers-Briggs Personality Type: ENTJ
Extroverted: 33% | Intuitive: 38% | Thinking: 50% | Judging: 22%
My personality test results seem fairly accurate as to my actual behavior, but less so regarding my writing. As I noticed last semester, my writing is more introverted than extraverted, though I myself am an extravert. I cannot "leap into writing with little planning" [144] as extraverts purportedly do. Instead, I write outlines and thesis statements painstakingly first. However, I do seem to be an Intuitive writer, finding it "hard to work without being inspired" [140]. I also appear to be "Thinking" and "Judging," since I "like arguing" [141] and "make organizational decisions quickly" [151].
Looking over my portfolio, I find my conclusions about my writing styles supported. First, the fact that I am too perfectionist, typical of an "Intuitive" person, is apparent. I remember how long it took my to get the captions and photographs to line up just right in the Learning Record Final, and how unreasonably I refused to be done until those alignments were perfect. Though a subtle, I've always found those sorts of things to be important.
The first project for this course, P1A, also supports the conclusion that I am an introvert. Though Professor Huxley and I are ostensibly having a conversation, I keep tying back his words to my own thoughts about myself. In response to Huxley's exposition of his own views on religion, I think "Though I was baptized Armenian Gregorian, I have been an atheist by default all of my life. I plan to resolve my own philosophical problems regarding religion during college, if I can." Perhaps an extrovert would be less self-involved. In terms of this course's goals, being introverted seems to be less productive, because we must "be inspired by that which is outside of the ego."
Goals List
- Write. I would like to develop both informal (public-oriented) and formal writing. Hopefully this is something that can be realized through future projects and assignments.
- Speak. Class discussions are most beneficial to me when I overcome my desire to stay quiet.
- Consider the future. Through the use of a witness as well as a more analytic, left-brained approach, I would like to develop some ideas about my future. I want to develop a better idea of my own ideal self.
- Newman's Synthesis. Newman emphasizes the importance of connection between different courses. I would like my university education to reflect "consilience."
- Create a sense of place at UT. Since UT will be my home for the next three-plus years, I want to feel comfortable here by creating a sense of place.
Learning Record A2
My quest to be inspired by that which is greater than the ego has primarily involved cultural experiences. I have been most inspired by place, through travel, and by art.
One of my goals for this class is to create a sense of place at UT. This class has helped me accomplish that goal through forcing me to come outside and experience my environment, as well as bringing me to new and interesting places at UT, such as the Life Sciences Library, the Harry Ransom Center, and Waller Creek. Though I did not find the meditation at Waller Creek completely effective, I did enjoy the experience of sitting quietly and enjoying nature. Now I go to Waller Creek and the Life Sciences Library simply to sit and work.
In this course, I have been most inspired by the literary works we have read. Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man contained a lot of new and interesting ideas. However, I have been most interested in John Fowles' work, The French Lieutenant's Woman. The issues of culture, spirituality, and progress in Fowles' work remain extremely relevant.
Over winter break, I also pursued my goals by making a road trip to the Rothko Chapel in Houston. The Chapel is not specific to a religion, but rather a "modern meditative environment" Though I am not spiritual, I found the intersection between art and meditation exemplified in the chapel compelling.
Thus, my "quest" for external inspiration has primarily been through the artistic endeavors of John Fowles, Mark Rothko, and others. Midway last semester, this class seemed to shift in focus somewhat from introspective learning records and the question "who are you" to the analysis of specific books. I found this shift to be necessary and positive. This class has involved both analysis of self and others, such as other writers, and I have learned the most from our work with others like James Joyce and John Fowles. To constantly look inward and ask "who am I" is to refuse to be inspired by anything other than the ego, and it is ultimately less productive than looking out.
Last semester, I had trouble finishing journal assignments and allocating sufficient time for this class. I would say that I have partially accomplished these goals, because I received over 1,000 points last semester and therefore must have learned to allocate time a little better. I am glad of the frequent journal entries required, because I have found that they have made me a better reader -- I now pay more attention when I am reading a book for the first time, and marking passages and quotes forces me to organize my thoughts. However, I have made less progress as a writer. The introspective assignments in this course have begun to seem repetitive to me. Overall, I would say that I have made progress in my quest for external inspiration.