Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

Page 17 text:

To study on the Littlefield roof may be unconventional, but it is only one of the unexpected places where students may be found with their work. Yet interest in academics cannot be measured by the choice of a place to study, but rather by classroom attitudes and extracurricular discussions and activities. Learning at Brown is not restricted to lectures and seminars and section meetings. It is given a basis through formal teaching, but learning must be achieved by individual involvement in the subject. This is seen in the laboratory, where some labor at all hours over a problem; in the art studios, where students stay well beyond class time to articulate one form; in the bookstore, where individuals look for another book whose subject is of particular interest. There are earnest bull sessions, discontent with courses poorly taught, frustration with inadequate material and coverage, excitement over a well- taught subject. Pressure to obtain advanced degrees has increased greatly in the recent years, often raising a question of educational values. Academic shortcuts are the solution to some, whose sole intention is to get the grades necessary for graduate admission. But most achieve their goals as a result of real interest. Motivation comes to even the uninterested through professors like Jordy and Hanson, Rohr and Hazeltine who bring life to the material through their presentation and personal interest. Some push beyond established modes of education. Independent Studies Programs allow the individual free choice of material; GISP provides groups with the opportunity to investigate major contemporary subjects; honors projects intensify and expand knowledge on specific topics; special majors allow broad choice of areas for individual specialization. Not all take advantage of them, but both approach and material are typical of an expanding academic freedom and an increasing individual involvement.