By the Way...

I love these new classes.

I have to admit that, previously, I had been rather skeptical of the idea of a core of required classes. Although the premise that a student should be well informed in all aspects of knowledge (from science to art, from literature to global cultures) is valid - and indeed is laudable - I had not bought into the notion that every student should take the same course, cover the same content, read the same books. The validity of the restricted range of content relies on a somewhat paternalistic belief that the makers of the core curriculum know what the students should learn better than the students themselves. This may actually be true, even if it is philosophically repulsive; but the point seems to be moot, now that I've actually tried out some of the courses. There appears to be a real common ground, in terms of common questions that interest (or at least should interest) everyone. As K said, it may actually turn out to be worthwhile to go through material that I would not have normally chosen to go through.

I am taking a literature course, a basic science course (Frontiers of Science, which resembles a philosophy and statistics course rather than instruction in the laws of the hard sciences) and (hopefully, for I am still trying to apply) a course in art humanities, which is concerned with "visual literacy", or equipping students with the necessary vocabulary to interpret and explain works of visual art. And so far, the courses have been engaging and intriguing. They aren't really content-heavy, with the possible exception of Literature Humanities, which purports to go through twelve books in fourteen weeks. They seem more concerned with methods of discourse and argument, rather than the content of the course. In other words, the content (the books, the artwork, the principles of science) is used as a tool to teach how to think and how to express oneself. The core courses thus seem to be much more concerned with fostering analytical abilities and facility of expression rather than familiarity with the content. At any rate, the courses are so general that the content covered would hardly impress a real specialist in the field. No - these courses are much more an intellectual frolic, an environment in which thinking methods can be practised in relative safety.

On top of that, I am taking one Sociology class and one Urban Studies class. Both courses started today with lectures, and I must say I have been utterly carried away with them. The greatest attraction of these courses, to me at least, is how they incorporate the city into the instruction, drawing on the urban context around the classroom as a valuable empirical source that evidences the abstract principles and ideas discussed. The Sociology class examines how sociologists use their methods in an urban setting, examining issues such as crime, the family, culture, immigration and politics. The Urban Studies class seeks to examine the experience of race, ethnicity and immigration in American cities, particularly New York, and even incorporates two field-research opportunities (for a first-year, something that is quite frankly intimidating!), one that aims for us to examine a social phenomenon like religious rites or the black market in the context of a New York neighbourhood, and the other that sends us out on Election Day to polling stations to examine why some people do not cast their votes (due to reasons like long lines or intimidation, for instance).

And as if these were not enticing enough, the professors started speaking in terms that I feel as if I've been waiting to hear for the longest time. They talked about social constructs, structural factors that are created by people and that then affect how people behave to each other. They talked about implicit social conventions, and how their subversion by "fringe" elements could reveal so much about the nature of those selfsame social conventions. These are ideas that I find eerily familiar. And I am reminded of how I wrote in my applications that people spontaneously generate social organisations when placed into political, economic, geographical and social contexts, and how from the cumulative chaos of countless individual free choices there can emerge patterns that are consistent across cultural and physical barriers. These courses seem to me to offer a tantalising glimpse at how to approach the task of examining and describing these patterns, and how they come about. And I feel as if my previous thinking and ideas that I've come across before have found an echo, or a home, here. I feel as if these are precisely the courses that I should be doing. There is that sweet sense of harmony from feeling that one is in the right place at the right time.

And of course, a big part of why these classes have proven enjoyable is also because, beyond the good teachers and the intriguing content, the students too bring and offer so much in class. There are small classes in which people compete for speaking time. Even in large lectures, students take turns to converse with the professor. The ease with which standards of communication are established between student and teacher is unprecedented in my personal experience; and it is very exhilarating to be a part of this exchange, charged with the urgency of having something worthwhile to contribute to the discussion. In an environment like this, I believe, one really delights much more in the ideas that are produced, and it really does not matter who says the idea. One may even find that stepping back to observe the synthesis and expression of ideas is worthwhile and interesting. And I do expect that there will come a point when other ways of participation besides raising one's hand in class will be investigated. At this point, though, I am quite content to enjoy the foment of views and opinions.

I feel like I have been set free again. My mind has something really substantial to chew on now. And it is good to be operating once again in an academic environment, to think well and to speak well, and through these interactions to generate ideas that are beautiful in their elegance and truthfulness.

*

And, parallel to this, I continue to marvel at the remarkable fact that I am here, in this city. In the mornings, I go down to the corner of 114th and Amsterdam Avenue, where there is a cart selling bagels and coffee. I buy a cup and a bagel, and then stroll down to Riverside Park, or up to Morningside Park, and slowly munch my way through this simple breakfast while enjoying the views and the crisp morning light, the sharp and fresh air and the people who go by. I think of how R is already auditioning for an acapella group, on the second day of classes. I think of A, J and K, who are still looking for the perfect mass at the right church in the neighbourhood. I think of a prospective trip to the MoMA tomorrow after classes to watch whatever that they happen to be screening in their cinemas at that time. And I realise that, here, in this city, and in this particular place in Morningside Heights, the academic element is only a small fraction of the vast range of opportunities that are available to us, a range that is so big that it positively demands that one puts in the effort to make full use of them. I must do justice to the remarkable circumstances that I find myself in.