I am now back in school to get my Master's in Florida Studies. However, I'm currently planning to head off in several different directions. I could 1) stay in Florida Studies, 2) switch my major to journalism (where I got my B.A.) or 3) go to seminary.
There are those who might wonder about those three choices. I did, at one time, plan to go to medical school, but that has not been an option for a number of years. Also thought of getting my B.A. in either math or biology. Yes, it is possible to love math and writing and to actually be decent in both.
But the pros and cons for the three current choices are as follows:
1) Florida Studies--From what I've discovered, this is an interesting Master's program. It's actually a Master's in Liberal Arts program and has the person checking out the History of Modern Florida, an environmental class or two, as well as other classes. Very interesting, mentally challenging, definitely more involved than I would have originally thought. However (this is the down side), I'm not sure how I would translate that into job viability, especially if I decide to move out of Florida in the future. What would someone do with a MLA in Florida Studies while living in, say, Oregon?
2) Journalism--The up side is that I would learn more about journalism and have a chance to hone my skills here. There are several journalism classes where grads and undergrads are thrown in together while other classes are separate. The down side is that with a B.A. in journalism, is a journalism Master's better? (If one pumpkin pie is good, do you go for two?) Hmmm...
3) Seminary--Yes, as in priesthood. As is something I've wanted to do for years and years and years. There are those who will tell me that I'd have to be a conformist. I doubt it. Being female and going into the priesthood is non-traditional. Also, there have been several Episcopal priests who, as far as I'm concerned, are (or were) non-conformists.
John Anderson was a white Episcopal priest who was known for going on civil rights marches during the early 1960s. Fortunately, his wife was a civil rights attorney.
Another priest, Robert Castle, graduated from St. Lawrence University the same year my parents graduated from St. Lawrence. He is retired now, but was frequently at odds with the church's powers because he dared to put the Word to work: he'd help people in his ghetto churches come up with rent, make bail--sometimes for himself, as well as helping those around him. He once was one of several who dumped garbage on a New Jersey city hall steps to protest the Viet Nam war, was arrested at Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato's office "during a demostration to support sanctions against South Africa" (The New York Times, "A Priest Bids Farewell To Pulpit, Police and Films," by Nina Siegal, Dec. 5, 1999), as well as other rable-rousing. The up side was that when Newark was engulfed in race riots, he was one of the few whites who dared to try to calm those rioting and actually had rioters listen to him because they knew he cared. He also had a book published in the late 1960s (Prayers from the Burned-out City), has acted, and was highlighted in a Jonathan Demme documentary, Cousin Bobby.
A third Episcopal priest is Barbara Cawthorne Crafton. I've never met her, but she was one of the first women ordained into the Episcopal church in the US. Her book The Sewing Room is filled with essays, most of them dealing with her years as a priest.
The punchline is that we all have to follow our dreams. Sometimes this means a little trial-and-error before we head off onto the right path. But that's life. We all need to remember several things: Follow our own path. Make sure it's not hurting those around us. Always question, rather than assume. And play nice.
There are those who might wonder about those three choices. I did, at one time, plan to go to medical school, but that has not been an option for a number of years. Also thought of getting my B.A. in either math or biology. Yes, it is possible to love math and writing and to actually be decent in both.
But the pros and cons for the three current choices are as follows:
1) Florida Studies--From what I've discovered, this is an interesting Master's program. It's actually a Master's in Liberal Arts program and has the person checking out the History of Modern Florida, an environmental class or two, as well as other classes. Very interesting, mentally challenging, definitely more involved than I would have originally thought. However (this is the down side), I'm not sure how I would translate that into job viability, especially if I decide to move out of Florida in the future. What would someone do with a MLA in Florida Studies while living in, say, Oregon?
2) Journalism--The up side is that I would learn more about journalism and have a chance to hone my skills here. There are several journalism classes where grads and undergrads are thrown in together while other classes are separate. The down side is that with a B.A. in journalism, is a journalism Master's better? (If one pumpkin pie is good, do you go for two?) Hmmm...
3) Seminary--Yes, as in priesthood. As is something I've wanted to do for years and years and years. There are those who will tell me that I'd have to be a conformist. I doubt it. Being female and going into the priesthood is non-traditional. Also, there have been several Episcopal priests who, as far as I'm concerned, are (or were) non-conformists.
John Anderson was a white Episcopal priest who was known for going on civil rights marches during the early 1960s. Fortunately, his wife was a civil rights attorney.
Another priest, Robert Castle, graduated from St. Lawrence University the same year my parents graduated from St. Lawrence. He is retired now, but was frequently at odds with the church's powers because he dared to put the Word to work: he'd help people in his ghetto churches come up with rent, make bail--sometimes for himself, as well as helping those around him. He once was one of several who dumped garbage on a New Jersey city hall steps to protest the Viet Nam war, was arrested at Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato's office "during a demostration to support sanctions against South Africa" (The New York Times, "A Priest Bids Farewell To Pulpit, Police and Films," by Nina Siegal, Dec. 5, 1999), as well as other rable-rousing. The up side was that when Newark was engulfed in race riots, he was one of the few whites who dared to try to calm those rioting and actually had rioters listen to him because they knew he cared. He also had a book published in the late 1960s (Prayers from the Burned-out City), has acted, and was highlighted in a Jonathan Demme documentary, Cousin Bobby.
A third Episcopal priest is Barbara Cawthorne Crafton. I've never met her, but she was one of the first women ordained into the Episcopal church in the US. Her book The Sewing Room is filled with essays, most of them dealing with her years as a priest.
The punchline is that we all have to follow our dreams. Sometimes this means a little trial-and-error before we head off onto the right path. But that's life. We all need to remember several things: Follow our own path. Make sure it's not hurting those around us. Always question, rather than assume. And play nice.
Labels: "Prayers From the Burned-out City", "The Sewing Room", Barbara Cawthorne Crafton - priest, Florida Studies, John Anderson - priest, journalism, Master's degrees, Robert Castle - priest
posted by feminist writer - Robin Shwedo at 5:40 PM
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