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By Stella Chu
Daily Bruin Contributor
With topics ranging from interracial dynamics in American
culture and cognitive psychology, to cosmos evolution, the General
Education Cluster program is offering some first-year students a
glimpse into courses that resemble upper division classes.
“I thought that the course was going to be about basic
history,” said second-year economics student Dean Sage, who
was enrolled in the GE cluster class 21ABC: History of Modern
Thought cluster last year. “It ended up to be much
more.”
The cluster program, offered only to incoming freshmen, consists
of a choice of themed courses over the course of a year.
During the fall and winter quarters, alternating professors from
different disciplines lecture on one theme, offering different
views on the same subject areas.
Then, during spring, each student must enroll in one of a number
of seminars offered, focusing on topics relating to the cluster
theme.
Many of the professors lead some of the seminars, as well as
teaching assistants, giving discussion-section intimacy to a
lecture format.
“The course gave the students a glimpse of the unique
structure of a seminar class that we would not encounter until we
enrolled in upper division courses, if at all,” Sage
said.
Other cluster topics include global environment, the history of
modern thought and culture, and a history course specifically
tailored to study the period in America from 1963-1974.
Mark Sawyer, who teaches the GE cluster 20ABC: Interracial
Dynamics, said the cluster program involved addressing issues in a
unique teaching environment.
“The purpose of the GE cluster program is to introduce
students to a topical area,” said Sawyer. “And at the
same time, introduce them to a variety of disciplinary
approaches,” he continued.
Students not only receive four GE course credits for taking a
three-quarter cluster, but they can also receive honors credit for
all three quarters.
If students fail to complete the three quarters, however, they
will not receive any honors credit.
To Christina Earhart, a second-year biology student who took GE
21 ABC, the History of Modern Thought and Culture last spring, the
credit benefits were added incentives for taking the course.
“Because I’m a biology major, the idea of receiving
GE credits in humanities as well as the honors credit was very
appealing,” she said. “I think it’s a great
concept and a great opportunity for a science major to get the feel
of a humanities course.”
Justin Williams, a second-year life-science student who took the
same cluster, agreed.
“It balanced out my heavy science schedule, and the extra
humanities credits were a definite advantage,” he said.
Because they are year-long, the clusters have the freedom to be
comprehensive.
Robert Watson, who coordinates the GE Cluster 60ABC, The United
States: 1963-1974, Politics, Society and Culture said the extra
time allows him to discuss specific aspects of his course that
aren’t normally discussed.
“The faculty are from English, political science, history,
and American studies,” he said. “But we’ll be
touching extensively on music history, art history, Chicano
studies, African American studies, and Asian American
studies.”
Some students said they enjoyed the familiarity of having the
same class year-round.
“What drew me to the course was the idea that it was a
subject that would last the entire year,” Sage said.
“And give me at least one constant amidst my constantly
changing schedule.”
Similarly, the lengthy time span allowed more faculty and
student interaction, allowing them to become better acquainted with
one another.
“Every quarter, it was the one class where I knew the
students and teachers, and had a good idea of what to expect in the
way of lectures and exams,” Sage said. “It did indeed
provide me with a comfort zone at the start of every new
quarter.”
But because the professors who actually taught the courses
changed, some students didn’t share the same sense of
comfort.
“Maybe there could have been more of a continuity between
the professors and more of a connection,” said Williams.
“I guess some students got used to the lecturer’s style
for that quarter, so when a new quarter came around, we
weren’t used to listening to a new professor.”
Nevertheless, others still like the idea of alternating
professors.
“I really liked the changing professors,” said
Earhart. “It made the course more interesting because of the
different perspectives we were given about the same
topic.”
Many students were surprised and excited to find themselves
surrounded by such a large number of distinguished faculty members
involved in the program.
“I was watching television the other day and saw my former
cluster professor on this program discussing her new book,”
Earhart said. “I was very impressed.”
At the end of some lectures, students even applauded the
speaker, according to Sage.
“The expertise and the great style of the lecture
presentations was probably one of the best aspects of the
course,” he said.
GE CLUSTER COURSES FALL 2000 Cluster 20
A: Interracial Dynamics in American Culture, Society and
Literature: Examines race construction and position in 20th century
America through cultural texts.
Cluster 21 A:
History of Modern Thought: Introduction to major scientists,
philosophers and writers who laid the foundations for modern
disciplines.
Cluster 50 A:
Perception and Illusion: Cognitive Psychology, Literature and Art:
Examines the nature of visual perception, optical illusion, and
ways in which humans use the senses to create reality.
Cluster 60 A:
The United States, 1963- 1974, Politics, Society and Culture:
Designed to give fair-minded perspective on the American “˜60s
and how these years shaped social, cultural, political and economic
orders of today.
Cluster 70 A:
Evolution of the Cosmos and Life: Focuses on evolution of the
universe, galaxy, solar system and the earth, as well as the
evolution of life.
Cluster M1 A:
The Global Environment, a Multidisciplinary Perspective: Addresses
the relations between the world’s rapidly growing population
and the global environment that permits human existence.
Original Graphic by JACOB LIAO/Daily Bruin Web Adaptation by
AVISHAI SHRAGA/Daily Bruin Senior Staff