Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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THROUGH HIS EXPERIENCE with American Literature, Steve Dashef found the Independent Studies Program: the best excuse that exists at Brown for self-development in whatever way one wishes. He al- so points out that such programs offer one the chance to become conversant with a certain field in depth. Such was the result when Steve pursued his interest in psychological conditions affecting Negro authorship in Ameri- ca. Reading the works of James Bald- win, Ralph Ellison, and Gwendolyn Brooks, he had the perfect oppor- tunity to meditate on wider philoso- phical issues, to consider problems of psychological identity, to listen to the music of Bessie Smith, and to get course credit for this pleasure. He A came to know the instructor, my- self, rather well, through his paper on Negro authorship and his honors thesis. The latter dealt with prob- lems of personal identity in the works of Robert Penn Warren and other southern writers. Although his studies have little to do with his future medical career, Dashef surmises that both medicine and literature meddle with people and their problems. Studies did not prevent him from finding time enough to dabble in varsity track, Tower Club, a dorm proctorship, and Brown Youth Group functions. He also served as vice-chairman of the Brown Charities Drive. Still, he was able to talk to anyone who had some free time or would make some and even learned to appreciate Pembroke. A JUNIOR Viee i SEATT d ow intimately with the re- search for Larry Small's independent studies project, an investigation of The Poetic Evocation of Andalusian Folk Music in Selected Works of Fredrico Garcia Lorca. His time in southern Spain was spent in listening to and recording the deep song or Flamenco music of the area's folk vocabulary. The analysis of poetry depended on primary sources rather than being derived from secondary materials. In this, he was invaluably aided by his faculty advisor, Mr. Alan Trueblood of the Spanish Department, who, through his greater experience, was able to direct Small's disunified thoughts without imposing his own opinions. Small believes that independent studies are truly valuable for those stu- dents who have a strong desire to probe deeply into one specific area. He stresses here the excellence of the faculty guidance at Brown. His academic honors are many. He is a Francis Wayland Scholar and a consistent Dean's List student. Extra-curricular activities include a stint on the freshman hockey squad and participation in the Production Workshop and Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. On at least one important question concerning life at Brown, Larry is somewhat of an iconoclast; and that is the present status of fraternities. He supports the system as it now stands, believing that fraternities give one the opportunity to meet a diverse group of people having certain com- mon interests. This combination has made possible, at least in his own case, a great quantity and quality of friendships. U

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AS A WRITER. one must be an honest person, says Jeffry Ordo- ver, one who recognizes that he doesn't understand himself, and who's fighting to understand. Writers are good if they face the problems of life in their work, he adds. But few people stick their necks out far enough to come to grips with life. A prolific writer of short stories, descriptive essays, and plays while an undergraduate, Ordover has found his greatest satisfaction in the English Expression Honors program. He discovered more room for creativity in this field than in any other. Through his studies, Ordover met several pro- fessors who have influenced him deeply. They are men who commit them- selves to students. Writing a full length play for his honors project, Or- dover has found that what has made him most content with his college experience is finding that man can do anything he wants to do. Among his writings, several plays were produced on campus, and his Slightly Doric column appeared regularly in the Supplement. Aside from his academic experience, Ordover's four years at Brown have been con- cerned with finding out about people in the raw and being confident in myself. His future plans are extremely varied, ranging from medicine to further writing. AS A JUNIOR at Brown, Axel Kornfuehrer was an honors student in international relations. Now an American citizen from Minnesota, Kornfuehrer was born in Germany and raised in a family greatly interested in history. His specialty is the history of World War II and of the Third Reich. In his Junior year, he examined the contemporary Soviel historical viewpoints about the German-Russian Non- Aggression Pact of 10939 for an independent study project. Honors work in his senior year led him into an examination of the Nuremberg Trials with emphasis on the three men who were acquitted and reasons for their acquittal. The fact that Brown possesses a complete transcript of the pro- ceedings was, of course, a great aid to his research Reading documents in Russian and Cerman is sceond nature to Axel who is a well-traveled polyglot. He has visited Belgium and Russia during two of his undergraduate sum- mers, adding to his already impressive background. History will continue to be Kornfuehrer's main interest in graduate school, where he hopes to find the same personal contact with the faculty which he found so valuable at Brown. And in defense of Brown institutions, Kornfuehrer jokingly com. ments, Pembrokers aren't half as bad as Brown men say thev are

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HISTORIC AL studies of the period following the death of Caesar were the essence of Stephen Tracy's independent studies project. Examining orig- inal sources such as the letters of Cicero and the Philippics, he attempted to trace the movements of the main political figures of the era to discover how they reacted to the death of such a great person. His chief interest lay in the conflict between Antony and Octavian the future Emperor Augustus. Tracy expresses appreciation for this program, in- dicating that it allows the student to organize a body of materials he could not otherwise obtain in a course. e admits, however, that much depends upon the quality of faculty supervision. One sugges- tion he offers is that the system be revised so that a student writes several short papers on various aspects of the field he has chosen to examine rather than the one comprehensive thesis now required. In this way, Tracy feels, a major problem of our edu- cation system could be alleviated: that of relieving the pressure on students. Happy with Brown's size, in number of students, Steve claims it has afforded him a valuable oppor- tunity to get to know some distinguished educators, an accomplishment he feels would have been im- possible had he been at a larger institution. There are certain handicaps involved, though, says Tracy: The school's size creates a situation in which the physical plant lacks sufficient facilities, for example, for students to relax, or to even take a girl on a quiet date. Tracy himself is married. A scholar with an enviable record, Tracy was elec- ted to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior, is a James Man- ning Scholar, and has been a consistent Dean's List student. 7 e by 5 BIBLICAL and liturgical texts formed the background for Joel I. Cohen's honors project: an original musical composition. The Sacred Service is a half hour setting of the Jewish liturgy written for chorus, soloists, and organ accompaniment. Feeling that church music in general has witnessed a gradual decline, Cohen decided to attempt somewhat of a revival. Because the piece was set in the Jewish liturgical tradition problems were encountered. Since the days of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, any har- mony or instruments have been considered an imposition in Orthodox Jewish prayer. Still further difficulties were encountered because of the vast differences in Eastern and Western musical traditions: the former employing a set of scales unfamiliar to the latter. The final product was an attempt to capture the spirit of the ancient Hebrew prayers in modern Western terms. Although composing took up much of his time, Joel still managed to participate in a number of extra-curricular endeavors. He served as a review editor for the Herald, as an executive of the Student Peace Union, and with the Manning Chapel Choir. In whatever spare time remained he gave gui- tar lessons to fellow students and com- posed scores for Sock and Buskin and Pro- duction Workshop. Writing music for the theater was 4 good experience; it taught me the practical side of composing. Planning to continue his studies on the graduate level and then go on to a career of teaching and composing, Cohen lauds the Independent Studies Program as The most profitable of my musical studies.