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I look forward to our small discussion groups on Thursdays. I feel on those days, we really take our readings apart and are able to collect all of our thoughts together. By doing this, the whole class is engaged and more enthusiastic to participate. Posting comments and papers online is something that is also working well for me. I try and take advantage of this by looking through other students' comments and by reading other students' papers. Usually in English classes papers are more confidential and the only way to read another student's paper is by asking her, so our method is quite different but has more advantages to us. 

On the other hand, as an individual, I still am working on my participation. I do feel I engage well in our smaller groups, but I know I can participate more in our larger group discussion. 

Even though we still have to go through "The Evolution of Stories" section of this course, I feel as though I have learned so much already about Darwin, about Dennett, about the evolution of ... evolution. I always knew who Darwin was, but after reading his book, I felt I really did not know him as I thought I did. The book gave me a more personal view of him and I was able to actually see how he thinks and reasons. This course has taught me to question what I read, to extract words, phrases that seem to shout out at me, and to read things with different perspectives. 

I am very, very interested in learning about the "Evolution of Stories." For one, I look forward to the evolution of teaching styles from Prof. Grobstein to now Prof. Dalke. But, the topic in general is of great interest to me, because the story of its evolution is such a profound one. Questions like: "what makes a classic a classic? Do social trends determine the genres of novels, or is it the other way around?" spark my curiosity.