Popular Courses Drawing Big Crowds

Boardman Professor of Fine Arts John Shearman gazed over the crowd that packed his lecture hall yesterday like a few too many sardines in a canister a little too small and sighed.

To be more accurate, there were 1400 sardines. And only 400 seats in the canister--the Norton lecture hall at the Fogg Museum of Art.

It was the first meeting of Shearman's Core class on Michelangelo, and students were lining the aisles, standing in the halls and sitting behind and around him on the stage. For several minutes, he stood waiting, before the crowd hushed and allowed him to speak.

Everyone there wanted to take Shearman's course and everyone was quite aware they may not have that opportunity this year.

"A rather savage lottery" was all the professor could predict, amid apologies to those among the crowd who would not be allowed to take Literature and Arts B-39.

Shearman, who first taught the course two years ago and will offer it again in two years, said he had mixed feelings about the large turnout.

"On the one hand it's rather marvelous that the old man [Michelangelo] can still attract so many people," Shearman said. "On the other hand, it's so sad that so many people have to be disappointed."

Although people were asked to leave because of fire regulations, security guards made no effort to remove people.

Berj Manoukian, a Fogg security officer who came on duty shortly after Shearman's class let out at 1 p.m., said he first thought the number displayed on the museum's daily attendance counter was wrong.

"When I came down the clicker was at 1519," Manoukian said. "I thought there was a mistake because I thought where the heck did this count come from, so I reset it."

The museum regularly attracts no more than 200 visitors on a weekday during the academic year, Fogg officials said.

Several students shopping the class said they were not pleased.

"I think its sort of humorous and pathetic,"said Ezra B. Perlman '93. "I went to the firstlecture freshman year two years ago, and that wassimilar, though not as bad. It's sort ofunbelievable that the administration wouldn't atleast expect more people."

Pamela B. Kirschner '94 had some ideas foraccommodating the overflow crowd.

"Maybe they could offer [the class] every yearinstead of every other year, so people could takeadvantage of it that way," Kirschner said. "Ormaybe they should build a larger lecture hall."

Core program Director Susan W. Lewis said it isunlikely the Michelangelo class can be moved to alarger lecture hall due to technical constraints,and Shearman said the class was originallyassigned to the Norton hall because of its largeseating capacity.

"The reason we took the Norton lecture hall,which I find a very ugly room, is because it wouldtake a few more [people]," Shearman said.

Lewis said Shearman's class is likely to be theonly core class lotteried this semester.

"If 800 extra people showed up in a number ofother courses something might need to belotteried, but based on what we've seen so far,that Probably won't happen," she said

"I think its sort of humorous and pathetic,"said Ezra B. Perlman '93. "I went to the firstlecture freshman year two years ago, and that wassimilar, though not as bad. It's sort ofunbelievable that the administration wouldn't atleast expect more people."

Pamela B. Kirschner '94 had some ideas foraccommodating the overflow crowd.

"Maybe they could offer [the class] every yearinstead of every other year, so people could takeadvantage of it that way," Kirschner said. "Ormaybe they should build a larger lecture hall."

Core program Director Susan W. Lewis said it isunlikely the Michelangelo class can be moved to alarger lecture hall due to technical constraints,and Shearman said the class was originallyassigned to the Norton hall because of its largeseating capacity.

"The reason we took the Norton lecture hall,which I find a very ugly room, is because it wouldtake a few more [people]," Shearman said.

Lewis said Shearman's class is likely to be theonly core class lotteried this semester.

"If 800 extra people showed up in a number ofother courses something might need to belotteried, but based on what we've seen so far,that Probably won't happen," she said