Shopping: Day 1
One of the great opportunities Brown offers is a shopping period when classes start. Having no core requirements for graduation and leaving the registration deadline two weeks into school, we're given a chance to visit and test many courses so that we may create our educations in an informed way. Even so, most Brown students shop minimally: many select their course load in advance, and those who do shop usually select three classes in advance and shop a few for their final slot. In contrast, in a typical semester I shop 20-40 courses, and this year will be no exception. Mostly to help me process my decisions and partly to document my process, I thought I'd keep a "shopping journal" until I've settled my course schedule for the semester. Of course, you're comments/advice about my choices or process are more than welcome.
So, day 1: Tuesday, 9/2/2005.
Classes on today's shopping list: 15
Classes visited: 8
(you can find descriptions for any of these courses at boca.brown.edu)
PY 133: Abnormal Psychology
Professor Hayden is a soft-spoken children's psychotherapist and very funny and engaging. He's the concentration advisor for psych concentrators my year, and most of us haven't outgrown our Professor-crushes on him. A captivating story-teller, he warned us that students in this class tend to spend their time psychoanalyzing each other and themselves and urged us not to. This class will examine various psychopathologies from a variety of approaches and in several contexts. While readings will focus on the physiological and medical side of things, lectures will develop the experience and narrative of patients, so that we can learn to analyze (hypothetical) patients (ourselves?) with accuracy but leave them with respect and dignity. For the final exam we will fully analyze a given case, explaining possible diagnoses, our reasons for the diagnoses, and our recommended treatment path.I think Hayden's great but I could get much of the content of this class from the readings. Since it overlaps so much with PY 30 which I took with him sophomore year, I'll hold off this time around.decision: no
ED (Education) /SO 147: Sociology of Children and Adolescents
This reading-intensive class will examine childhood from a sociological perspective. Is there an objective time which we may consider childhood, or is it a contruct which varies by context and culture? How do children develop as individuals? In adult society? Are their child-societies in parallel to the adult ones? Professor Modell held my attention easily while running this 100+ person first-session as a discussion (of the 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child). The reading load is heavy. I know lots of people who'll be in the class, which is important. One of my best classes here, RS 72: Christianity in Late Antiquity, was so worthwhile in part because I took the class with friends and we did a good job of integrating the material into our out-of-class lives and thinking about it together. Another worthwhile option. More work than the psych but perhaps better payoff. Depends on the rest of my schedule. decision: maybe/shop again
AC (American Civ) 161.5: Converts, Dropouts, Returnees
Professor Davidman's topics are always fascinating. This one looks at the US as a marketplace of religious ideas and approaches, and especially at the question of one's own identity regarding affiliation, separation from, or return to a religious or cultural tradition. Cross-listed in both Religious Studies and Jewish Studies, this class could help me think about the make-up of the US Jewish community a lot, and would doubtless help me in some of my post-college work. (No, I don't know what that will be, but this will surely be helpful). I have mixed reactions to Prof. Davidman's style which have made other classes of hers a lower priority for me before. Having shopped classes with Prof. Davidman before, I didn't rush to this one and didn't make it before the period ended. I'll grab a syllabus tomorrow and shop the class Thursday if my schedule's still up in the air. decision: probably not, but shop it if there's time
MU 40: Introduction to Music Theory.
As Professor McGarrell said himself, all of the theory in this class could be learned within a week, and the real benefit comes from the regular exercise in listening, singing, composition, and optionally keyboard training. Here's a class where I can easily point to the tangibles I would take away: I'd be able to sight sing. I could more intentionally create and sing harmonies as I constantly sing. I'd be able to coordinate my hands and ear on banjo MUCH much better. McGarrell is very good, although everyone raves about Jodry who's teaching this class in the spring.
I'd like to take this sometime while I'm at Brown, but it's not urgent. If it fits, good. Otherwise, also OK. Plus, should I not end up taking it while I'm here it wouldn't be the end of the world. decision: maybe
SI 10-20: Intro to ASL
Professor Belozovsky is Deaf and will be teaching without speaking. Aside from wanting to learn ASL, which have been moving up on my priorities list for a while now, I'm really curious what the class will be like, learning ASL in ASL. This full-year class teaches not only the language but also a lot of Deaf culture; in short, it would be great. I'm also friends with many of the other students who showed up. At the same time, This is a full-year committment and I don't think I can make that right now for something completely new -- there are too many other things I want to do while I'm at Brown, and ASL is a language that I will have more chances to learn. decision: most likely not
Convocation
I rushed to the Van Wickle Gates to watch the first-years march through, ceremonially beginning their Brown careers. So much excitement, antipation and joy. A very different, though similarly joyful, mood from the appreciation and connection I saw on faces at Commencement this past spring. I can't believe it's been three entire years since I walked through those gates myself. And only 9 months until I'll walk through them again, this time in the other direction. I'm not ready for that. Good thing it's a whole [academic] year away. I like the idea of seeing each incoming first-year, transfer, grad student and medical student, and welcoming them into the school community. And I really enjoyed recognizing so many faces, knowing so many people, already.
Convocation was only slightly darkened by the shadow of Katrina, but we all felt it. President Simmons spoke eloquently yet with force about our negligence as a nation and state, yet urged students not to feel guilty to be at Brown and learning, rather than out doing direct service work. We have a responsibility to committ our education to actively making positive change in the world, she suggested, but we must not forego the education rushing to make chance. At the same time, we can't wait to make change: Students, faculty and administration will be planning Brown's response over the coming days, weeks and months. 100 students from NOLA have already been admitted to Brown for this semester, with tuition waved, and we can do more. In the coming weeks, survivors will be brought to military bases in Rhode Island and on Cape Cod. How can we help them? What can we give of ourselves to help all those in need? Ruth (I feel odd referring to her so informally in this semi-public space, even though that's how we all do in school) also shared that Sydney Frank has made a generous $5 million dollar donation to Brown to support all manner of relief work. I'm very proud to be a part of the Brown community right now.
Professor Miller spoke very well too, about the responsibility Brown students have in creating their own educational experiences. Very well spoken, but nothing sticks out to share beyond that right now.
AN 115: Middle East in Anthropological Perspective
Everyone has a different reaction to Bill Beeman, our jack-of-all-trades professor who seems to lecture in anthropology, political science, theater (opera) and who knows what else. Professor Beeman is outgoing head of the ME Studies program and just returned from a sabbatical spent (partly) in Iran, where he observed the recent elections. While he impresses me as knowledgeable and charismatic, he can also seem distant and disinterested at times. Then again, most people can. Regardless, this class looks like it will be very good. Although a survery of both Anthro methods and the ME, there will be plenty of opportunities for me to delve more deeply into a subject of my choice. Some example suggested research topics include "The meaning of the Nowruz holiday for Iranian Jews in Israel" and "the use of cell phones among youth in the UAE." I should be able to find something fun. I also don't have much choice about this one -- it's the only class at Brown which fulfills the Anthro requirement for my MES concentration. decision: yes
After class, rather than rushing off to either HI 190: History of American Foreign Relations I or TA 31: Beginning Modern Dance (both of which I missed), I stayed for an impromptu meeting of MES concentrators to discuss the fact that between sabbaticals, fellowships, maternity leave and other unforseen circumstances, the MES department has vaporized since last year. Luckily, the U. is working to help us replace the now nonexistant courses so that we'll be able to graduate. While an emergency for the real seniors, it doesn't look like this one will hit me too badly.
SO 103: Organizational Theories of the Public and Private Sectors
Professor Harrington is incredible. Her lively lecture kept me involved despite my being in the back row (so I could leave in time for another class) of dreary, dark Carmichael Auditorium. Questions to be considered in this heavy-workload class include the meaning of life in an organizational world, how organizations work (and more often, don't work), how organizations relate to and affect each other, the differences between the public and private sector, survival skills for organizational life, and new organizational structure which don't fall into established categories. I have a hunch that much of this will be like learning algebra for me. That is, I've probably thought about a lot of what we'll be reading and saying before, but it's still important to learn it in an organized and more sophisticated way. And Harrington is great. My only reservation is the reading load: if I take this, I'm absolutely not taking 5 classes (which I wasn't really considering anyway), and I'll have a lot to balance. At the same time, this is technical reading, which I do well, and there are not papers, only tests, which distinguishes this from all my other classes (most likely) and could be important. decision: very likely.
HI 112: Between Allah and Jesus: The Mediterranean Jewish World(s), 1490s-1940s
The name of this course alone displays how awesome this class would be. Professors Levanios and Flores, each one highly regarded by my friends, will be team-teaching this course about the Sephardic Jewish communities from an external perspective, that is, how their host countries interacted with them and defined them. Very Cool. Unfortunately, I didn't like it very much, perhaps because I'd been in class almost non-stop for 6 hours by the time I arrived. Not only did the syllabus seem disorganized to me, but the professors didn't seem to have put a lot of thought into how they'd be co-teaching. Last year a potentially incredible class in Jewish and Islamic Law proved to be disappointing, in large part because of the professors' co-teaching. In that case, I knew they'd planned the co-teaching with some intention, so I'm even more skeptical this time around. If there weren't other classes I'm very excited to take I'd give them a second chance. Under the circumstances, though, they don't make the cut. decision: not this time.
EC 160: Economy of the Middle East
While friends disagreed with my assessment of the previous course, we mostly agreed about this one. Aside from being adorably Israeli, insisting that we call him Yona instead of Professor Rubinstein, Yona doesn't have much going for him in my book. His syllabus was minimally prepared, and he suggested that he'd rewrite it freely as the semester went on depending on what interested him and the class. While he spoke slowly and deliberately, he didn't actually seem to be saying much beyond the fact that economics are important in the Middle East and result in the need for careful analysis of options in various situations. If you ask me, and based on this initial presentation, this course shouldn't be 100-level if offered at all. decision: No thank you.
As I reached Hunter Lab, where I was hoping to shop PY 174: Relationships and Human Development, I ran into an exuberant Zoey. She was jumping joyfully because her name had just been picked out of a hat for the last place in the highly popular seminar I was going to shop myself. In fact, no one who wasn't a senior concentrator in Psych got into the class. So, one less choice for me to make. My last class of the day was going to be ED 157: Early Childhood Education in a Developmental Context, which my good friend RS spent the summer creating in a research partnership with the professor. Unfortunately, it was cancelled at the last minute for reasons I still don't understand.
Post-Classes
Tired and Exhausted I spent some time on the Green collecting donations for Katrina relief before crashing and going to rest for a bit. Before heading home I joined classmates, professors and administration for a vigil in response to Katrina. I blew shofar, and this was the first time I ever blew in public, which was a little scary. Although the first note didn't come out well, I found my kavannah, intention, and am very satisfied with the rest of the blowing. Perhaps I'll treat you to a rant on my thoughts on shofar blowing another time.
And so I went home for dinner, then visited with RS a bit. I thought I'd plan another day's shopping but was far too exhausted and went to sleep before midnight!
end of day summary:
YES: AN 115
LIKELY: SO 103
POSSIBLE: ED 147, MU 40
UNLIKELY: SI 10
NO: PY 133, HI 112, EC 160
MISSED/CANCELLED: AC 161.5, HI 190, TA 31, HI 135, HI 154, PY 174, ED 157