Favorite Class

One of the strangest classes I have ever taken was a class last spring called “Alice in Musicland.”  Its name says it all.  It was a music class that focused on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, even though Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was far from a musician or even an author: he was a mathematician!  I thought Dodgson and I would get along, seeing as the only tunes I can carry are in my shower when I confidently belt out my favorite Disney show tunes…let’s face it, “Be a Man” just sounds better when sung into your shampoo bottle.  Admittedly I had initially taken this humorous-looking class as an opportunity for “easy credits” while I was stuck taking Geology and its lab for my science GER.  However, I quickly discovered that this four credit, 300 level music class was no joke.

The professor passed out the syllabus on the first day of class, informing us of weekly video viewings, essay quizzes, assigned readings, and a whopping 25-page minimum paper for the final.  WHAT?!  I was shocked.  Instead of running at break-neck speed away from the class (as some students did), I embraced this strange curriculum and let myself get into it.  Turns out, this was one of the best classes I have ever taken.  As an English major, it was fascinating to blur the lines between music and literature, as Dodgson did in his fiction.  The weekly film viewings were hilarious!  Who knew Meryl Streep and Peter Gallagher both starred in Alice movies early on in their careers?  I met some really great people in that class.  Definitely a favorite for me at William and Mary.

– Megan Castle ’11