A Class of Their Own

In the past, learning to navigate without the crutch of modern electronics was essential. This skill has not been lost on the students of Science of the Physical Universe 27: “Primitive Navigation.” For their first assignment, students were asked to walk from the John Harvard statue due West (without a compass) for 20 minutes (without a watch). But the class is no walk in the park. Next week, students will locate the astrophysics building by measuring the angle between themselves and the steeple of Memorial Church. Johnny M. Bassett ’12 described the course as “less classically academic, but more practical” than other classes he has taken.

While "Primitive Navigation" demonstrates how much can be learned by steering physics away from modern technology, Professor Peter D. Manuelian ’81 takes the opposite approach, pairing some of mankind’s earliest great innovations with its recent inventions. Students in Societies of the World 38: “Pyramid Schemes, the Archaeological History of Ancient Egypt” will complete two short iMovies. While Manuelian stresses that the assignment can be as simple as a series of still images, he hopes student will be more daring, and encourages them to submit to the Harvard Shorts Film Festival (which he is running). “Ancient Egypt displays above all things a visual culture: the hieroglyphs, the decorated walls in tombs and temples,” said Manuelian. “I wanted to give the students a chance to dive into that visually rich world, and an iMovie assignment seemed like a great way to begin.”

Professors Doris Sommer and Francesco Erspamer prove that the relationship between art and social action can be as symbiotic as the pairing of ancient and modern. Each week, guest speakers guide students to incorporate art and humanism into professions like law, business, and medicine. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 13: “Cultural Agents” guides students to design an “Art Intervention” centered around a social dilemma. In the past, students have designed interventions ranging from perceived residual racism in the classroom to establishing creative writing programs in local homeless shelters. Sommer’s former students have told her that the course “changed their lives” and the way they understood their career paths. “We are all artists,” said Sommer. “We can’t help it, we’re human beings. We make it up as we go along. And if we take that seriously, we’re more passionately engaged in our professional lives.”