Tuesday, September 4, Second Period

As the class entered and took their seats, Aziraphale was laying out a set of books and handouts for each student. There was a nice spread of scones, muffins, and danishes laid out on a table in the center of the circle of chairs, along with pots of tea and coffee. Once everyone had settled in, he sat down in a comfortable-looking chair and picked up a teacup.

"Welcome to Prophecy in Theory and Practice. I'm Aziraphale, although since I do know that's quite a mouthful, you're welcome to simply call me Mr Phale if you like. Let me also introduce our Teaching Assistants, Mr Halliwell and Mr Wells. They're here to assist you with any questions you may have about the assignments, and also with the hands-on exercises we'll be doing. I know that some of you have more experience or natural ability for divination and prophecy than others, so I want to assure all of you that you'll be graded not on your inate talents in this area, but on the effort you put into the work.

"Today we're going to have introductions, and talk a bit about your own perceptions and thoughts on prophecy. You'll notice that I've provided some reading material for you, as well as a copy of our syllabus for the class. Before we begin our discussion, however, I want to talk briefly on some of important basic points, the foundation for everything we'll be studying."

Aziraphale gave a brief lecture on defining prophecy and divination, and the most common forms of divination.

"Now, to begin, I'm going to ask each of you in turn to tell us all your name, your reason for taking this class, and how you hope to apply what you learn in your life beyond Fandom. Then, so that you can all get to know me better as well, I'm going to give you each the opportunity to ask me one question about myself that I promise to answer absolutely truthfully. Any sort of question at all."

After the class discussion was finished, he set aside his tea and said, "Your homework assignment for next week is to answer the following questions:

What does prophecy mean to you?
What type of person comes to mind when you hear the terms "prediction" and "prophet"?
What about "fortune" and "clairvoyant"?
Are your reactions different when the terminology is different?

"My office hours are on Monday during second and third periods, but you may also make an appointment to meet with outside of those hours. And I'm usually here for a bit after each class, so please feel free to stop and talk to me on your way out."

[ooc: There is a description of the classroom here, as it's not arranged in the typical classroom style. The only requirement is that you tag the Sign In thread, but interacting with the other students in Class Discussions is strongly encouraged. It'll be much more fun that way! Please wait for the OCD is up and class is in session!.]

Class Roster
Syllabus
Class Requirements