Final Thoughts on the Course

[AlexReid]

I wanted to thank you all for your participation in this course. This is the first online graduate course offered in the English department at Cortland, so I appreciate your joining me in this experiment. In my estimation the course has been quite successful (though I suppose your final papers will be the last word on that). I realize that the online course format is not for everyone and that it presents its own set of challenges, especially for those who are new to it. I also see online courses as offering their own opportunities for students, particularly for students to interact with one another and develop their own avenues of inquiry and discussion. That is something that has happened in this course. I hope that's an intellectual practice that you can take with you.

As many of you have expressed, cyberpunk was something pretty foreign to most of you when you signed up for the course. In estimation, the discourse on this site has really developed over the last few weeks as the class really grasped the central themes and issues of the genre. Little Brother really seemed to bring it all home for us and it seems that many in the class have begun to see connections between our course materials and events in the news and in their lives. We've also had some good conversations about the educational uses of this material. I see this as a very positive outcome. I hope you do as well.

Please let me know if you have any problems submitting your final papers.

Final grades are due by Friday afternoon. I expect to post them sometime on that day.

[Nicole Brady]

Not having any trouble. Still at the library "tweaking it". I'm a last minute kind of person, though. I cannot believe how much more knowledgeable I am after taking only a month-long online class. It's great.

[Judith Piccione]

Thank you, Dr. Reid.

I was honestly always a little put off by science-fiction type literature. I felt that it was really geared much more toward the male population and a lot of it really went over my head with the super-technological jargon and whatnot. However, it is my experience that the books picked for this class, really with the exception of Neuromancer, were pretty reader-friendly and something that males and females alike could find interest in. That's not to say that I didn't like Neuromancer, it's just not a book I'll probably ever think to read again. The Diamond Age was very wordy and complex. Distraction was a good read. I liked the political aspects that it presented. He, She and It was by far my favorite because it was just the type of book that I like to read in the summer. It had a great storyline, great characters, and presented a different view on life. I like stories like that. Little Brother was an awesome read. I really wish I taught high school because I'd love to push to use that in my classroom. I think a lot of kids would really like that book. There's so much you could do with it in the classroom and so many ways to approach the messages.

I really thank you and everyone else in the class for helping me to see that science-fiction, mainly cyberpunk, is not a genre I should shy away from. It's not something I can't understand. It's now something that I plan to revisit once in a while...something I never thought I'd say.

Everyone...enjoy the rest of your summer. To all the teachers...just a little less than a month left...enjoy it while it lasts!

[Kelli Voltz]

I have found that this class was challenging at times as many of the online classes are and because of such a short time span but I have found it very beneficial and extremely interesting. Before this class I knew nothing about Cyberpunk Lit. Actually I have never even heard of the term before searching for a last minute substitution English course. I have learned a lot, not only about the subject but about ways of writing. I feel that it was very beneficial for me because I got to read some work from my classmates who appear to me to ber very good writers. I have to say that I wish I did get to participate more in the dicussions but I feel I put forth all my effort during such a busy summer. I want to say thank you to Dr. Reid for introducing me to such an interesting genre!

[Nicole Brady]

AGAIN MY DARN BLOG ISNT WORKING SO HERE IS MY FINAL POST!!!!!!!!
I'm a Little Sad-Or Not

I so so so enjoyed this course. I'm a little sad it's over. I would have loved if it was a full-semester course I was taking and could read even more books and maybe even watch a few movies or something. I'm so so happy, though, that it is over as it put a lot of stress on my family life. Right now my kid is freaking out downstairs and can't go to sleep and his dad is being a ding-dong about putting him to bed. So I can get back to my "regular" job of motherhood after my workday is over instead of classwork. Ya kno? I really loved the discussions and I felt like you can really tell a lot about people from their posts. That was one intersting aspect I hadn't even thought about before tonight. Reading blogs here was enjoyable for me. Anways. Thanks everyone, especially Prof Reid. Good night.... ;-)

[Rachel Glod]

I really enjoyed this course, and I hope that this is the first of many online courses that Cortland will offer at the graduate level. Even though online learning has its own challenges, it was a rewarding experence for me, and I hope that the feeling is unanimous. Thanks for a great summer semester everyone!

[Jonathan Wolfe]

I wanted to let everyone know what a pleasure it was to get to know all of you in cyberspace. Sorry I dropped off the map toward the end.

Hope everyone has a great August (can it really be August already?)

I'm currently holding my baby girl in one hand and typing with the other so this will have to be brief.

Fare thee well. You are all really insightful and intelligent people. Good luck to you all in the future.

Jonathan