This was, I admit, one of the more challenging weeks in WP as of yet. The main reason for this, I believe, is the fact that I'm not much of a constructivist. Oh sure, I think they're right about some things but as my blog posts indicates, I'm don't buy into their whole system. That made Wendt's already incomprehensible reading, even more dreadful. And let me just address that for a moment, actually:
There's such a thing as writing in a coherent fashion for a specific audience and in such a manner that you communicate your point clearly, and there's such a thing as writing a piece that is deliberately obtuse and incomprehensible to the layman. Maybe, and I'm not ruling this out, I'm just not too smart but it seemed to me that Wendt was nearly incoherent. I would read whole paragraphs and not understand a single sentence. While I eventually got the main point from the reading, it was a painful slog.
The visit to the French Embassy was more interesting, but did suffer from a few flaws I thought. Firstly, I just didn't think the diplomat who presented to us was particularly exciting. I liked the tour but it was hotter 'n heck outside and I wanted to retreat to the AC when the guide said, "oh, it's so nice. Let's do all the tour out here!" Thankfully, the other guide saved us. Also, waiting 45 minutes for the bus was a slight pain in the derriere. Toby had an interesting question about the recent abduction of French nationals by members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the recent involvement of the French Military in strikes against AQIM. But, unfortunately, the diplomat refused comment.
The new discussion format in class was certainly interesting, but I did not like it overall. While it was surprisingly successful in self regulating, I still believe it would inevitably break down as it did toward the end. Plus, as PTJ predicted, some of the quieter members of the class who may have had valid points, were not heard. So, I admit, this was not my favorite week. But with the interesting lab on Wednesday (in the Formal Lounge!) and seemingly good readings lined up, I'm excited for next week being much more enjoyable.
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