My initial thought for this IDC class was that “peopling” is a horrible word. Frankly, it evokes the slightly repulsive image of meiosis. It is a clumsy present participle that sounds like “toppling,” and no one uses it in every-day conversation, let alone a course title, for good reason.
However, I’ve always loved history and I’m a second-generation Korean-American. I figured this class had to easy, awkward name or not. Imagine my excitement when I found out how much time-consuming, dense reading (congested with words even worse than “peopling”) there was! Nonetheless, we could bring the readings into class discussions, which often turned into entertaining debates. We were encouraged to voice our thoughts, no matter how ridiculous, and that is honestly what makes American education so distinctive.
Additionally, I loved writing my personal essay. I had never talked to my parents about their pasts before and it was humbling hearing how difficult it was to come to America with only $600. I was shocked to learn that my mother was so disillusioned of the American Dream, that she took my brother and went back to Korea for a year. If she hadn’t come back, I would have never been born, which certainly put my life in a different perspective.
My statistical profile was another story. It literally put me in tears and I have (almost) no shame in admitting that. I was absolutely Microsoft Excel illiterate, but with the help of Ben the ITF, I got through it alive. I know I will have to use this maddening program again in my life, so this was a constructive introduction.
The interview project was also constructive in that I got to hear another immigrant’s fascinatingly unconventional story, which didn’t fit any of the theories in the readings. Academics can try to categorize people all they want, but people always have been and always will be both capricious and resilient.
Macaulay should really change the title of this course to give the subject matter the justice it deserves.
