In the first installment of Inside Explorations, the Daily takes a look at what goes into the planning of the University's popular, student-run courses. Next week's installment will show how those plans are implemented.
After 30-odd years of existence at Tufts, the Explorations program has built a small legacy for itself. From its windows-to-the-walls approach, incorporating all topics under the sun, comes an open method of welcoming freshmen to the Tufts campus, providing them with student teachers, friends and advisors - all in the space of one class.
Through Explorations, juniors and seniors put their sanity and their fall semesters on the line in order to help underclassmen investigate the ways of the world and the Tufts campus.
"[Teaching an Explorations class] is a huge responsibility," said Robyn Gittleman, program supervisor and director of the Ex College.
Whatever the risk, the payoffs and response seem significant as well. Explorations courses are pass-fail options for incoming freshmen. The courses incorporate new Jumbos into the advising system, offering them practice in academic exercises they will use throughout their collegiate careers. Explorations courses remain in strong demand because the number of student-teachers is struggling to keep pace with the ravenous freshmen appetite.
To apply to teach an Explorations class, upperclassmen pair up and work together on a chosen topic, submitting a short description of the material to be covered, a reading list and a detailed syllabus to the Ex College during the semester prior to the commencement of their desired course.
The chosen student-teachers must have adequate grades and excellent communication skills. "We look at people who have a good academic record and also those who want to teach and have the ability to teach," Gittleman said.
Choosing a topic can be difficult, since it is important to find a subject that will be challenging for both the teachers and the class. "[It's important to] make sure you're interested in the idea," said senior Heather Kenney, who is teaching the course "School Portrayals." "Have an idea of what you're doing, but be flexible. I mean, these are Tufts students - it could go anywhere!"
Some topics are rooted in academic interests, while others stem from personal interests that can be examined in an academic context. "[My co-teacher and I are] both seniors who have almost finished the community health major; we can draw on our coursework, so it's a little bit different from just an interest," said senior Katie Steward, who co-teaches "Healthcare Inequities."
While Stewart incorporates material from past classes, senior Jason Wang takes a
different approach. Though majoring in political science, Wang is teaching the course "Comic Books and Society," which brings Batman and company into a school setting. "I read a lot of comic books back in the day, and I knew I wanted to teach an Explorations course," he said. "I was searching for a topic that I could really get into, so it made sense."
Similarly, senior Luke Brown, through his course on "The Culture of Clothing," has found hangers of social issues in a subject that might seem light at first glance. "We may start a [class] conversation about a non-academic topic, but it brings in gender issues and economic issues;" Brown said. "You can discuss, for example, waistlines and how waistlines moved from higher up to lower down depending on the politics and religion of the time, or how hemlines were linked to freedom of expression for women."
"You really have to break it down and identify real issues that relate," he added. "You have to put it into some kind of academic importance, a societal context."
Gittleman agreed. "The seminar topic must be something that can really be explored, so that it won't be something where someone is just a talking head," she said.
Students have found plenty to explore this semester, as indicated by the mile-long listing of courses on SIS covering topics ranging from "Norse Mythology" to "Gambling in America" to "How Women Rule."
Choosing a partner can be just as important as choosing a topic. Some feel that it is important to find a diverse duo to lead the classroom. "When we [Kenney and co-teacher Sarah Joslyn] initially met up, she was like, 'You're not a child development major, are you?'" Kenney said. "It's nice to get two different perspectives in there."
Additionally, many worry that the pressure of teaching a course together could put stress on relations between the co-leaders. "I think it's good that we're not best friends, because then personal issues don't get in the way of the class," Kenney said.
For many, having support from a co-leader is a very crucial element. "I think it's great to work with [senior and co-leader] Gabi [Jirasek]; she calms me down," Brown said. "It's really great - we're students, too, and we have other classes and it's easy for me to get stressed out."
Jirasek said that she and Brown have been planning to teach an Explorations course almost since freshman year. "It was not a dramatic moment like, 'OK, we'll go through with it,'" she said. "We had been talking about it for so long, it was going to happen."
Jirasek was abroad in Madrid during the application process, a detail that complicated their scheming. Thanks to Internet technology, however, they were able to stay in good contact. "We had this huge exchange of emails - 'What do you think about this idea?' or 'How about this?'" she said.
They continued compiling information over the summer. "It's so much easier if it's something you're already aware of," Brown said. "We never had to go out and actively get material, because they were articles we were reading anyway."
"I think the reason Explorations is as exciting as it is, is because the leaders have chosen something they feel passionate about," Gittleman added. "At the end, they may have chosen to change some parts of their syllabus, but after a summer of reading and preparation, they are ready to teach."
