Argh!! I think that someone at the university must have long ago decided that no student should ever attempt to complete three subject POSts (program of study) in East Asian Studies (especially with a focus on Japanese studies), English, and History, and created course schedules accordingly. Sure, it seemed theoretically possible when I went through the old coursebook and planned out my university career, i.e. all the courses that I wanted to and/or would have to take to complete my desired East Asian Studies-English double major and history minor, but reality, in the form of this year's course timetable, has now shown me the folly of my idealism.
The best schedule that I can have if--a BIG if--I manage to get into my first choice courses and sections will go something like this:
Monday: 10am-12pm: Modern Standard Japanese (Language)
6pm-9pm: Introduction to Criminology
Tuesday: 10am-11am: History of Modern Japan
12:30pm-2pm: Modern Standard Japanese (Language)
2pm-6pm: Japanese Cinema
6pm-9pm: Major British Writers
Wednesday: No class (probably recovering from the nine and a half hours of class on Tuesday!)
Thursday: 10am-11am: History of Modern Japan
12:30pm-2pm: Modern Standard Japanese (Language)
Friday: No class ( I think I deserve a three day weekend!)
Alternatively I could get rid of Intro to Criminology, and the six hour gap between classes on Monday, and take Pre-Modern Japanese Cultural History for the first half of the year, and Japanese Culture and Modernity for the second half from 10am-12pm on Wednesday, but if I'm going to have to suffer through the aforementioned nine and a half hours of class on Tuesday, then there's no way I'd schedule classes for the next day, much less early (and anything before 11am is early for me) on Wednesday. Besides, it'd be highly inefficient to spread out seventeen hours of class over four days if, and there's a strong chance that I will, I have to commute. Especially since nine and a half of those hours would be on one day, and the other six and a half would be spread out over three days. It'd be such a waste of effort to spend two hours in transit, round trip, to attend two hours of class, three days a week.
See why I think it's a conspiracy? Honestly, that schedule is the best that I can do without sacrificing my principle of only taking classes that I'm actually interested in. Argh. I really have no idea why all the classes that I want to take seem to be scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays at conflicting times. Would it be too much to ask for some classes scheduled for early Monday afternoons? Or even Thursdays after 2pm? WHY?! WHY?! Why are the schedules all against me?!?!
