Next week, I begin my final semester of college. I have no idea what I will be doing come May or June or beyond, but I do know that I will have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I am so proud of future me. At the start of the month, I didn’t think I would be recovered enough to do this semester, after the heart procedure I had in mid-December. But with some arranging, working with some wonderful and understanding professors, resting as much as I could, and not pushing myself, I am here. I have a schedule that I hope will work for me, and I’m ready to give this a go.
It’s the final semester, so things are going to be fun. The biggest motivator for me to get it together for this semester is that I have the opportunity to take a class only offered once before at my university and only offered in the spring: Behavioral and Experimental Economics. For my final major-level requirement, I’m going to get to take a class in the area of economics that I have always been most fascinated by.
I’m also taking a class on podcasting and long-form audio with my radio professor from last semester (if anyone from Planet Money is reading this, I’m available and would love to work for the podcast), a class called Popular Culture in America, Travel Reporting, and Disasters of Ancient Rome. Yes, Disasters of Ancient Rome fulfills my final core class requirement for my degree. The rest are electives!
I don’t have the syllabi yet as I write this, but I do have the course descriptions, so I can give you a taste of what I’ll be studying.
Disasters of Ancient Rome
My final core class! Therefore we’re getting it out of the way first. Basically, this class looks at events like Pompeii and the floods and plagues of the Roman Empire, and how they impacted the Roman people. This is supposed to be a class with a heavy reading load. Am I overly enthused about this one? No. There are others I’m more looking forward to. And I’m bummed that my friend I was planning to take this class with wasn’t able to get in. But I’ll make it work. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Popular Culture in America
This is an asynchronous course, which is what initially drew me to it. After all, if you know me, you know I’m not in tune with mainstream pop culture and I never really have been. If it’s not Disney related, I probably have no clue. While my regular consumption of late-night talk shows that I watch on YouTube while I make breakfast every morning probably helps, I know there are entire areas of pop culture and references that are lost on me.
This course examines how the American arts and entertainment industry influences culture, beliefs, values, and our everyday lives which I think perfectly falls into the aforementioned area of interest: behavioral economics. I’ll be taught how to analyze songs, movies, TV shows, and social media. I have high hopes for this class, though I’m expecting a steep learning curve, and hope to be introduced to a lot of new topics. At least I won’t have to try to figure out what to watch next on Netflix!
Podcasting & Long-Form Dig Aud
Also known as Podcasting and Long-Form Digital Audio – I thought it’d be fun to just use the actual course titles as my headers though.
I am podcast obsessed. I listen to them all the time, from all sorts of genres, I learn a ton, and this is a skill set I want to have. Yes, as I mentioned earlier, or as you may know, I took a radio class last semester with this same professor. Now that I’m proficient in radio and audio storytelling, I’m ready to take on podcasting. This class will further my skill set and give me the opportunity to work more on scripting, pitching stories, and interviewing. I don’t think there will be much field recording this semester, but I know I’m going to finish the semester with a lot more practical experience and can’t wait to see what I produce.
Speaking of practical experience…
Travel Reporting
Yes, I’m taking a class on travel reporting! This class is asynchronous, which I’m hoping makes things a little easier for me. I’ll get to study contemporary travel reporting and write about experiences, places, and events (probably local to me) as well! Considering that I will gladly watch the travel channel or PBS, I’m hoping to enjoy this class. It’s also going to give me the opportunity to directly apply my formal education to blogging, which I’m so here for!
As a wheelchair user and service dog handler, traveling is not always easy for me. I’m hoping to be able to create better content for you about my experiences, future travels, and what traveling looks like for me at the end of this class!
Behavioral & Experimental Econ
And last but not least, Behavioral and Experimental Economics.
I. Am. So. Excited!
Literally, the first sentence of the course description is “Applies insights from psychology to understand how economic decisions are influenced by factors outside of rational self-interest.” and while many will find that boring, clearly I do not. And as if learning about behavioral economics as a field itself weren’t enough, there’s an experimental aspect as well! It looks like we’ll be building out theoretical research projects towards the end of the semester.
I was so sad last semester that I wasn’t going to have the opportunity to write a dissertation like so many of my friends at other universities. There are some topics I’ve stumbled upon in my studies that I want nothing more than to study and research for hours on end. Should I get a Ph.D. just to study labor economics specifically within women’s professional sports? I digress. I will definitely put forth my best efforts in documenting this final semester and the process of writing this paper and building a theoretical study for you all because I want to have this experience saved forever.
So that’s what I’m studying this semester.
I’m going to be recording long-form audio, reading about Ancient Roman disaster, getting in touch with pop culture in America, learning how to report on travel, and finally diving into behavioral economics.
And then, I’m going to graduate. I’ll be closing this chapter of formal education, at least for a while. No, I’ll never stop learning. And I may never be in a classroom as a student again. But this is my last semester. I’m excited to learn as much as I can and make the most of it.
Make sure you’re following me on Instagram to keep up with me this semester!
