Tenille Jensen Blog 10

There has never been a time where I have taken Guro’s class and not learned something new about myself and grown for the better. I’ve always come into his classes with certain expectations and have left with an entirely new perspective on EVERYTHING. Guro met me as a first time transfer with absolutely no idea what I was doing at William and Mary or why I even decided to transfer in the first place (I was totally out of my comfort zone and absolutely regretting my decision). It probably wasn’t the smartest decision to take THEA 333 (Asian Folklore and Performance) my first semester here but it was certainly the BEST decision I ever made. Francis completely pushed me out of my comfort zone in that class while also creating a safe haven for all of the insecurities many of my peers and I had both in and outside of the class as a college student here at William and Mary (something many students never had in any of their courses before).

THEA 332 was no different. I was able to experience a new sense of community by taking myself out of my comfort zone. By discussing touchy subjects such as race, gender, sex, and nationalism, I gained a new insight into the different voices that make up the William and Mary Community. The dramatization of these topics through theatre and film has also allowed me to think deeply and critically analyze how it relates to society and most importantly me as a member in society. What I loved most about this class was the fluidity in class and the opportunity Francis gave us to really sit and listen to other people’s opinions, criticism, and concerns. Many of the thoughts that bounced around the room I could relate to - and there were also times where I didn’t necessarily agree - but it allowed me to view a subject from a different lens which I have greatly appreciated. That is the biggest form of growth for me; taking something I didn’t quite understand, agree with, or necessarily think about and turning it into something I could appreciate.

Aside from the discussions that were at times touchy and uncomfortable, I also REALLY appreciated the movies that were uncomfortable. An example of this would be the movie we just watched last class, Savage Nights by Cyril Collard. Although it made me really uncomfortable to watch the love triangle of a careless bisexual man with HIV, I learned something really powerful about the trials and tribulations of sex and disease through the lens of a bisexual man and young heterosexual woman in love. Despite how insane the movie seemed to be, it speaks the truth of someone’s reality and forced me to think about where I fit on that spectrum. That is the special thing about this class; no matter how distant a topic may seem to our reality, we are all in some way connected and impacted by the realities of others so it is very important to take a moment to understand things that are often times foreign and to force ourselves to talk it. That is the ultimate form of knowledge and I thank Guro for facilitating that knowledge.