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fandomhigh2007-01-11 02:49 pm
hera-rises.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2007-01-11 02:49 pm
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Sociology of Space Travel, Thursday, 6th Period
Grinning like a cheshire cat as she stood at the front of the room, Laura watched the students enter the classroom and sign in, then filter out to take seats. The SmartBoard behind her was illuminated, a navigation chart of her home star system visible. "Sign in and have a seat. We'll be getting started in just a minute. I'd like to give everyone a few minutes to get here."
Five minutes passed and she decided it had been long enough. There might be a few people left to straggle in -- it usually happened on the first day of classes as everyone tried to find new classrooms. Any latecomers would just have to miss a few things.
"Okay, we'll go ahead and get started," Laura began. She folded her arms across her chest and leant against the front of her desk, crossing her ankles. "Welcome, everyone, to Sociology of Space Travel. I'm Laura Roslin. As with many of you, I'm not from around here. As a matter of fact, I've done a bit of space travelling to be here with you today. What you see on the board behind me is a navigation chart of my home system."
Clicking a button on the remote, the chart zoomed out and tilted on its side, shifting. Finally, on reaching the Milky Way system, it zoomed back in, this time on Earth. The Colonial system was now a barely visible speck, blinking. She smiled. "We're not exactly neighbors. And yet I made this journey; lots of others have done the same, some from even farther out. So what is it that drives us to the stars? Why do we leave the relatively safe confines of our home planet and venture out into a cold, dark vacuum? And how do we react and interact when we get there?
"These are the questions we'll be asking a lot this term. We'll also be looking at how space travel is percieved in popular culture -- everything from books and comics to movies and television. But first--" Here, she paused, reaching behind her and grabbing a stack of index cards, complete with clipped corners "--we're going to get to know each other a little better."
Going to the front of each row, she handed out an alotment of cards. "Take one of these and pass them back. On the card, I'd like for each of you to write down your name; your year; the best way to reach you -- whether it be e-mail or phone; and other social science classes you've taken, whether they be history, politics, psychology, what-have-you. Drop them on my desk on your way out.
"Aloud, we're going to go around the room, and I'd like you to introduce yourself to me and to your classmates. Let us know your name, where you're from, and some little tidbit you don't mind sharing." She cleared her throat. "But let's not, ah, overshare, okay?"
The class led itself through the introductions. Toward the end, Roslin moved back to the front of the room, powering off the image of Earth. It was replaced with a simple white board. She picked up one of the electronic pens from the tray, and turned to regard the class, listening as the last students finished up.
"Next we move on to a little class content--" her eyes flitted to the clock "--albeit not much." Smiling, she scrawled on the board: Reasons, and underscored it. "So why do we travel in space? What possible reason could people have for attempting such a dangerous feat?"
Writing down each reason as they were listed, Roslin paused after a few moments, returning the pen to the tray. "Okay. A pretty good start. For homework, I'd like you to, at some point before next Thursday, venture out into a public place and adopt some noticibly strange or quirky behavior." A lopsided grin curved her lips. "I realize for some of you, this may not be a far stretch, so I would ask that you choose something out of the norm for you. Take some notes on the reactions you receive, and write, oh, let's say -- a page on the experience.
"Until then, I should have my office hours on Wednesday, and I'm listed in the directory if you need to reach me.
"Oh, and yes, I will have your syllabi next week. I had a few...distractions...this week. Now," she continued, slipping her glasses off, "get outta here!" Waving with a grin, she rounded the corner of the desk and began gathering her papers.
[OCDcoming up! Have at! ]
Five minutes passed and she decided it had been long enough. There might be a few people left to straggle in -- it usually happened on the first day of classes as everyone tried to find new classrooms. Any latecomers would just have to miss a few things.
"Okay, we'll go ahead and get started," Laura began. She folded her arms across her chest and leant against the front of her desk, crossing her ankles. "Welcome, everyone, to Sociology of Space Travel. I'm Laura Roslin. As with many of you, I'm not from around here. As a matter of fact, I've done a bit of space travelling to be here with you today. What you see on the board behind me is a navigation chart of my home system."
Clicking a button on the remote, the chart zoomed out and tilted on its side, shifting. Finally, on reaching the Milky Way system, it zoomed back in, this time on Earth. The Colonial system was now a barely visible speck, blinking. She smiled. "We're not exactly neighbors. And yet I made this journey; lots of others have done the same, some from even farther out. So what is it that drives us to the stars? Why do we leave the relatively safe confines of our home planet and venture out into a cold, dark vacuum? And how do we react and interact when we get there?
"These are the questions we'll be asking a lot this term. We'll also be looking at how space travel is percieved in popular culture -- everything from books and comics to movies and television. But first--" Here, she paused, reaching behind her and grabbing a stack of index cards, complete with clipped corners "--we're going to get to know each other a little better."
Going to the front of each row, she handed out an alotment of cards. "Take one of these and pass them back. On the card, I'd like for each of you to write down your name; your year; the best way to reach you -- whether it be e-mail or phone; and other social science classes you've taken, whether they be history, politics, psychology, what-have-you. Drop them on my desk on your way out.
"Aloud, we're going to go around the room, and I'd like you to introduce yourself to me and to your classmates. Let us know your name, where you're from, and some little tidbit you don't mind sharing." She cleared her throat. "But let's not, ah, overshare, okay?"
The class led itself through the introductions. Toward the end, Roslin moved back to the front of the room, powering off the image of Earth. It was replaced with a simple white board. She picked up one of the electronic pens from the tray, and turned to regard the class, listening as the last students finished up.
"Next we move on to a little class content--" her eyes flitted to the clock "--albeit not much." Smiling, she scrawled on the board: Reasons, and underscored it. "So why do we travel in space? What possible reason could people have for attempting such a dangerous feat?"
Writing down each reason as they were listed, Roslin paused after a few moments, returning the pen to the tray. "Okay. A pretty good start. For homework, I'd like you to, at some point before next Thursday, venture out into a public place and adopt some noticibly strange or quirky behavior." A lopsided grin curved her lips. "I realize for some of you, this may not be a far stretch, so I would ask that you choose something out of the norm for you. Take some notes on the reactions you receive, and write, oh, let's say -- a page on the experience.
"Until then, I should have my office hours on Wednesday, and I'm listed in the directory if you need to reach me.
"Oh, and yes, I will have your syllabi next week. I had a few...distractions...this week. Now," she continued, slipping her glasses off, "get outta here!" Waving with a grin, she rounded the corner of the desk and began gathering her papers.
[OCD