You never truly know what is going to happen in a class discussion. The Core means you take so many classes in such a variety of subjects that you can find yourself talking about anything at any moment! It could be a regular seminar session, where you and your fellow classmates share your thoughts and figure out a piece of reading together. Or it could turn into a thought-provoking class on something silly, such as a farm on campus or your favorite starburst flavors. As a third-year student, I’ve taken a lot of classes at this school and participated in many more discussions, both in and out of the classroom. Looking back, there are a few class seminars that stand out to me, as the most interesting or silliest discussions I had with my peers.
For a German course, “Deutsch-Amerikanische Themen,” we once discussed where on campus would be the best place to put a farm and what kind of farm we would put there. Top contenders included a grass field on top of the Regenstein library, fully equipped with grazing sheep and cows, or perhaps a corn field in the middle of Midway! My personal proposal was a farm on the Main Quad, with pigs, sheep and cows, that could function as a petting zoo for students. This discussion was held fully in German, and we learned a lot of vocabulary during it, and had a lot of fun.
In Language and the Human, we discussed whether or not the language you speak can influence your thoughts. In a room filled with bilingual speakers, we all went around and shared our own personal experiences. Some said poetry sounded better in their native language, but they couldn’t see themselves doing homework or school discussions in it. Everyone had a different experience with how they saw themselves in relation to their languages. During a different seminar, we discussed naming, and whether the name you give something or someone can have a significant impact. We all shared the history of our first names, and last names if we knew it. Going around and learning more about my classmates in relation to the class was a highlight of the discussions.
During my Gender and Sexuality in Western Civilizations course, I thought we would have a regular discussion on Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s “Dictee,” which, if you haven’t read, is a beautifully written novel. Dictee opens with an epigraph: “May I write words more naked than flesh, stronger than bone, more resilient than sinew, sensitive than nerve - Sappho.” Now, this was one tiny quote that I’ve seen before all over the place, so personally, my eyes skimmed right over it. Your classmates will often catch things or notice details that will go right by you, which is what makes these discussions so fun to participate in. A classmate brought up this epigraph by Sappho, and oh-so-very casually announced to the class that it was a lie, “I think it’s interesting how Cha made up the epigraph and credited it to Sappho.” My head was spinning. Again, I had seen this quote before, attributed to Sappho, in a billion other places. Google it for yourself, and the (false) answer will pop up bolded for you to see. My peer’s comment led to a lot of researching and talks with classmates trying to find proof on whether or not Sappho had written that quote. After finding pretty solid evidence that she didn’t, I contacted magazines. In my opinion, this is a huge deal! The world needed to know that we had all been tricked! Someone agreed with me, and because of that class discussion I’m in the process of writing a column about this fake epigraph.
Whether very academic or silly, class discussions can, and often will, teach you a lot. The constructive, fun conversations that somehow happen to relate to the class topic continue to be one of my favorite parts of the College. It’s also reflected in our students. Most of us are ready to have completely serious conversations about an amazing variety of topics at the drop of a hat, from odd ones, such as which puddle on campus is most hygienic to drink out of (the correct answer is the Regenstein one), or slightly more scholarly topics, such as if your native language shapes your thoughts more than a second language. Students here have so much to teach one another, and through in and out-of-class discussions, we learn from and with each other.