As 2024 is coming to an end, a lot of us are taking some time to reflect on our decisions, achievements, and shortcomings over this year. Especially as students, as we like to review the knowledge we obtained and set new goals for the new academic year. 

These days, I’ve done some reflection of my own concerning the courses I took this year, three of which I will be sharing with you today. Before we get to the course reviews, I wanted to clarify that my opinion is in no way meant to be a critique or an attack on any of the mentioned instructors, or vice versa. We all have different methods and preferences when it comes to learning, and what works for me might not work for you. 

The Bad: Study and Exercise Recording 1 (Spring 2024)

This course is offered by the Practical Music department at Sejong University. This class is aimed for students of the Music department, especially international students under the practical music track. The lectures were conducted in English, and the class was held once a week on Thursdays, lasting from 3 pm until 6 pm.

The course did not have a clear syllabus, so the curriculum was not very clear. We did not have any assignments, but we had a lot of theory to memorize for the midterm exam, which was in a Multiple choice and short answers format. As for the final, we had to apply all that theory into real life through recording our cover of a song and mixing and mastering it, as well as providing a report detailing the process, from equipment used to creative choices. 

Overall, the course content was very interesting and beneficial. Music is very vast, so I was happy to take a course that involved the more technical aspect of it. However, the class being 3 hours long meant that lectures were hard to follow 2 hours into the class. The lack of hands-on activities before the final was also concerning, and the English in which the class was conducted was vey basic so communication was not very fluid. I believe adjusting the time and length of the course would’ve improved its quality. The professor was very knowledgeable as he works in the industry, and he was quite friendly and even playful, but he himself was not aware that he had to conduct the lecture in English, so he struggled to prepare the content. 

The Good: K-pop Dance 2 (Fall 2024)

This course is listed under the Daeyang Humanities section, which accounts for Sejong University’s liberal arts courses. It is offered every semester, and conducted in Korean. This class is aimed for international students who are curious about K-pop and want to learn trendy choreographies from new releases. Students can take this course once in Spring, and once more in Fall. This course is held once a week as well. There are two sections, but both are held once Friday for three hours. Mine happens to be at 3 pm.