First Week of Classes

Time for post #3! School has officially started. The campus is full of people, all the students have come, and classes have begun. Here's a quick look at how the week went, and what I think I can expect for the rest of the semester. I don't want to bore you too much with details about what specifically we learned, so this might be a little shorter of a post.

The first semester is going to be a busy one. Mondays are busiest days, we start at 10am and go all the way to 6pm with minimal breaks. The rest of the week gets progressively easier, with only one class on Thursday. I don't have classes Friday through Sunday. This semester has 6 courses: 3 seminars on daily life and culture in different times and places in the biblical and pre-biblical periods, an intro class to the history the Levant from the Late Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Period, a class on how to think and write critically in an archaeological setting, and Ancient Greek for beginner archaeologists.

Most of the classes seem really interesting, and the professors are all very engrossed in their topics. The first few classes that went over history and archaeology terms and basic stuff was mostly review for me, but a lot of the people in the program don't have that background and need the introductions. In about a month we are going to start taking field trips to different sites around the country that are related to what we are studying. Early in November we will be traveling to places near Tel Aviv like Gezer and Aphek, late bronze age sites that we are currently studying. The Ancient Greek class is focused mainly on being able to identify and translate inscriptions and other written finds, not necessarily speaking it.

The first week was also host to a large fair/carnival/thing on campus to welcome back all the students. The main courtyard and surrounding walkways were full of vendor stalls selling clothing, shoes, and food, along with booths for different clubs and organizations on campus. This happened all week, not just on one day. There was also a stage for live bands that played periodically. It was a huge welcome celebration, and was really fun to experience.

The real grind is about to begin. I am going to have a lot of reading and a lot of writing to do, and my time is going to be full. It is going to be a challenge, but I think I'm going to enjoy it!