Year 11 student Cecilia Xu recently spent the winter break in the United States at Stanford University, enrolled in the Stanford Summer Humanities Institute residential program. There, she completed a course on historical revolutions with Stanford professors and other students from around the globe. Read her reflection below.
‘What is your favourite revolution?’
That was the question my professor asked my Revolutions class during our first lecture. When I answered, ‘the French Revolution’, he gave me an impressed nod, explaining it was a wise choice, as it was his favourite too! But little did he know I chose this revolution not because it was my favourite, but because it was the only one I knew – I only knew it from the French listening holiday homework that Madame Fratini had set. The truth was, I had never heard of any of the other revolutions mentioned by the other 24 students sitting in that lecture hall. And as they spoke so passionately about revolutions like the Haitian and the Egyptian, I nodded aimlessly along with them, wondering how the hell was I to survive a university-level course on revolutions when I couldn’t even name more than one!
Over the winter break, I attended the Stanford Summer Humanities Institute where I studied a course on revolutions under the guidance of Professor Dan Edelstein. I have never been a ‘humanities girl’. I don’t take VCE History Revolutions at School, and my knowledge of world history is limited to trench warfare and the Gallipoli campaign – so I constantly wondered how on earth am I qualified to take part in this program? Why am I even doing this? But, Shakira once said, “Try everything,” so when I got my acceptance letter, I packed my bags and flew 14 hours away from the cold of Melbourne to the sunny Summer days of San Francisco.
Despite these initial fears and uncertainties, this program quickly became one of the best experiences of my life. Over the three weeks, we stayed in dorms on the Stanford University campus and roamed around as if we were living the American college experience. From early brekkies at the dining hall, to morning lectures and afternoon discussions, followed by lots of library trips for pre-lecture readings and coffee breaks, all ending with late night Uno sessions – every day felt like a dream. The people there were what made the entire experience extra special – my roommate, my classmates and everyone else, were the kindest people ever and I made so many life-long friends. On weekends, we embarked on adventures to Palo Alto and the De Young Museum, forming tightly knit bonds of friendship as I educated them on drop bears and quokkas, whilst they reminded me that I lived in a country that lost a war to emus. Twice.
My favourite thing about this program was how immersive the experience was. The classes we took weren’t the typical, ‘I tell you dates, you memorise’ History classes, but instead, every lesson was a discussion. Our professor would give his lecture then every student in the class would chip in and provide insight based on their individual experiences and opinions. Sometimes I found myself sitting there and just pinching myself, soaking it all in, wondering what I had done to be lucky enough to be in an environment where every single person truly cared about what they were studying.
By the end of the three weeks, I completed my first ever 10-page research paper on my chosen topic—the role of violence in revolutions. Writing it was a long and arduous process, but it reflects all that I have learnt about political science and history over the course. I walked into this program knowing little to nothing about revolutions, but came out on the other side completely and utterly enlightened!
So, if you ask me the same question again—What is my favourite revolution? I would answer the same – the French Revolution, but now, I have a more nuanced justification. The bloodshed, the ingenuity, the resulting musical Les Misérables, but most importantly, it gave way to the infamous quote: “the Revolution, like Saturn, devours its own children.”
Cecilia Xu
Year 11
We congratulate Cecilia for accepting and undertaking such a wonderful opportunity and sharing her adventure with us all!