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Student Letter: Nicole
Let me start off by saying that Terri (as her students familiarly call her) is one of the most amazing professors that I've ever had. The infectious enthusiasm, contagious energy, that "realness" that she brings to the classroom is unparalleled. I constantly find myself gushing to my roommates as soon as I return home about our unbelievably inspiring class discussions. When I brag to friends about Professor Senft's unique talent in explaining Plato's cave allegory via the blockbuster hit, "The Matrix," their response, a mixture of intrigue and slight jealousy at not having discovered such a class during registration, is always the same: "That sounds so cool! How can I sign up for that course? Are they offering it next semester?"
Actually, it is Ms. Senft's superbly original and captivating approach toward
the course material that makes Plato and other notable philosophers so interesting
and easy to understand. A favorite activity that jumps to mind was Terri's
assignment to work either individually or in small groups on one section of
Aristotle's "The Poetics." We wrote our own summaries, complete
with catchy titles, accurately depicting "the meat" of Aristotle's
theories. Presenting our summaries to the class we debated the idea of how
much each specific section of "The Poetics" was related to "Acting
Technology and Reality," ending every discussion with a grade of A through
F for each subdivision as far as its pertinence and direct application to
the course was concerned. This strategy of attacking what could have otherwise
been an incredibly daunting text, succeeded in simplifying Aristotle's arguments
for me in a very simple yet scholarly and sophisticated manner. Entertaining
in class projects like this are typical of Terri's refreshing teaching style,
forever turning the reins of creativity over to her students.
I remember meeting with Terri at Starbucks in the beginning of the semester
to discuss ideas for my final project. I expressed to her that I wanted to
focus my paper on the relationship between the actor and the advertiser. Lighting
up with her signature enthusiasm, she was bubbling with excitement, encouraging
me to think about expanding my written paper into a filmed documentary. With
every breath, she offered constructive criticism and suggestions, simultaneously
becoming more and more excited and supportive of my "game plan"
for the final project. I left our one-hour meeting with such a sense of pride
in my work that I felt completely psyched and actually couldn't wait to put
pen to paper.
I think so highly of Terri that I'm confident no letter I could ever write
would serve to convey what an inspiring person she is. She is an outstanding
addition to any academic institution lucky enough to have her as a member
of their faculty.