The next year to year and a half

Yesterday, I had a sit down with the director of my Masters program, Donna Zapf, and she and I had a nice long discussion about wrapping up my degree. Time flies so fast that I am now down to only one more class after the one I am in now - then I write my final project. I started in Fall 2004 - which in some ways seems like eons ago, but when it comes to school, it doesn't seem like it has been that long at all.

For the past 6-9 months, I had planned on doing my final project on South African protest art. Last semester, I started the ground work on this by doing primary research on anti-apartheid posters compared to Dutch emblem books from the 17th century. Sounds like a far stretch, but you would be surprised on the similarities! Then, this semester I am taking a class called "Trauma in Art/Literature/Film." This was meant to back up my final project idea in art.

But when it really comes down to it, is that where my passion is? South Africa has played an important role in my life - it has changed so much about me. But, I must admit, that chapter is coming to a close. This may be my last trip to South Africa for work in a few weeks, and I probably won't be back until I am old and wealthy after that.

But animal issues are always current to me, and they are a passion. I am going on two years now as a vegetarian. Issues of factory farming, environmental impact, moral responsibility to living beings, etc are subjects that are of interest, and concern, to me. There is a lot of academic work that can be done in this realm of issues.

In the summer of 2005, I did a presentation on hog factory farming for a class in Dr. Kathy Rudy's "Animal Ethics" class. That presentation was given again, to a public audience, in the summer of 2006 to a group of Duke undergraduates and faculty. Kathy believes that a further analysis of the effects of factory farming is much needed in the academic literature. So, I have made the decision to drop the art project and go for an animal one - most probably the issue of factory farming (check out www.themeatrix.com).

What this means logistically is that I will take Kathy Rudy's class this summer, and in the fall I will register for my final project. Since I just want to graduate by May 2008, I can work on the paper through the spring of 08 and still graduate on time.

It is exciting to know that I am this close to the end, and to know what I will be writing about - but it's also sad. I have enjoyed earning this degree, and it will be sad to end the experience. Good thing is, MALS lets old-timers audit classes and even sign up for the study abroad sessions, so the door will never be fully closed. But still, it's the end of an era.........