Where Is This?

Special international prize for the right answer.

Lost and Found in My Camera

Just got my camera back today and found these photos from the friendly academic year initiation party for new students called “Rock The Beach”.

Free sunglasses and Chicago speciality deep-dish pizza were on offer.

My classes this quarter

As my camera still being in the repair shop, I deemed it correct to give a short overview of the classes I am following this quarter. Yup, quarter (veerand) not semester as Northwestern functions on quarters and not semesters. 9 weeks of classes and then one week of exams.

 

I am taking two classes which fall into topics I am generally more interested in:

PHIL 360 Theories of Justice

Professor Charles Mills who has written a few books on racial justice in the US introduces us to the concepts of justice in the work of Rawls, Nozick, Okin etc. Even though professor Mills is very clear and friendly, I think analysis could be pushed further in this class.

POL SCI 490 International Politics and International Law

A graduate level class discussing the interaction between international politics and law. Taught by Karen Alter who has written extensively on the conception of the EU and international courts.

 

I am also taking two economics classes which even though not so intresting per se let me take more interesting econ classes in the coming quarters.

ECON 281 Introduction to Econometrics

Econometrics is probably one of the most boring and yet necessary parts of every research in social sciences. Professor Habermalz is a funny German geek trying badly to crack a joke whenever possible.

ECON 310-1 Intermediate Microeconomics

Intermediate microeconomic theory. The two professors Hornstein and Braeutigam. My TA (seminarijuhataja, enseignant de conférence de méthode) is a French guy who went to Polytechnique before coming here for his PhD.

It is interesting that both econ classes have three one-hour lectures and one one-hour discussion (seminar, conférence de méthode) a week as opposed two 2+2 at Sciences Po. Also we have weekly problem sets in both instead of goof old fiches techniques de Sciences Po.

 

To become a nice and educated person one day I also take one class to open my horizons.

PERFormance Studies 324 Studies in James Joyce

Performance studies is almost like theatre but not quite so. We read The Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and finally Ulysses and try to perform them and then comment upon each other’s performances. Most people taking this class are theatre majors (inimesed, kelle põhieriala on teater ja kes plaanivad näitlejateks saada) so doing my first performance was a little intimidating. The discussions are often not earnest as people are probably afraid to openly criticize other people’s performances. Yet it is probably one of the most interesting classes I have taken so far in my academic life.

 

In general I am happy with my classes. Tartu, Sciences Po and Northwestern all have quite different approaches to teaching. Probably Sciences Po methods remain the most unique.

 

Proovin jälle usinamalt blogima hakata. Chicagos toimub ka palju muud toredat.