Freshmen look to advanced courses for new challenges

After a high school curriculum of Advanced Placement courses and other challenging courses, the typical freshman comes to Princeton expecting an atmosphere of unrestrained academic stimulation. However, upon looking through the Course Offerings Guide and counting the number of classes listed as 'Not Open to Freshmen,' this vision is often shattered.

This was the case for David Schaengold '07, a student who was shocked by the number of classes he wanted to take but were closed to freshmen.

"It was as if the administration was telling me, 'You can't handle this material,"' Schaengold said.

Two such classes were ENG 401: Forms of Literature: The Saga and the Medieval Imagination and WWS 321: Theory and Practice of International Diplomacy.

Despite the listings, Schaengold contacted both professors and asked for permission to enroll. While his ENG 401 request was denied, professor Wolfgang Danspeckgruber permitted Schaengold to take WWS 321.

"If you're an eager first year student with previous experience, why not be allowed to take the class," said Danspeckgruber, who has let several other qualified freshmen into his class.

Visiting professor Smitu Kothari also believes freshman should be allowed to take higher-level classes. He strongly advocated opening WWS 480: Special Topics in Public Affairs: Society, Identity and Power in India and Pakistan to first-year students, a change that has brought two freshmen into the five-person class.

Kothari wanted freshmen to be included to "spark students' interest" early in studying a particular area of the world.

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"Freshmen do not tend to be intensively engaged with one specific region," said Kothari, whose class provides the opportunity for an in-depth look into Indian-Pakistani relations.

While Kothari initially habored some concerns that freshmen wouldn't be able to handle the course material, he said it is essential that they "get their teeth into what a serious academic course is about."

"It is important that we don't treat freshman like novices," Kothari said. "They are motivated and capable to learn and do serious research."

Not all faculty, however, agree that freshmen should be allowed into these advanced classes. Psychology professor Philip Johnson-Laird believes that many classes, such as PSY 310: Psychology of Thinking are closed for valid reasons.

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"Students are likely to get more out of courses if they have already mastered some psychology," Johnson-Laird said. "A course may be too advanced for freshmen to enjoy."

Rob Roberts '05 shares Johnson-Laird's view, believing that certain classes marked 'Not Open to Freshmen' should stay that way. "You should have an idea of how classes and the workload here are before you take these classes," Roberts said.

But some freshmen want to involve themselves in intensive study as soon as possible.

Rob Grant '07 is one of the two freshmen taking WWS 480. After struggling to find an "intellectually and emotionally engaging" class last semester, Grant said he saw this class as an "opportunity to dive deeper into a compelling subject matter."

"I've probably gotten myself in a little over my head, but I enjoy it, and were there more classes in the same vein open to freshmen, I would certainly choose a similar course in the future," Grant said.