<p>I saw that some schools (like Eugene Lang) have programs focussed on interactive classrooms making students engage daily in tops of discussion...I love this idea compared to boring lectures. I also saw that schools like Bennington have programs that do not have majors...instead, the students decides what their "focus is" or "goal is".... What other schools have this typeof environment? I am interested in foreign languages (I want to be a polyglot) and international relations and prefer an urban environment. I live in CA and know ucla offers a Spanish/Portuguese major which is nice...sry for my rambling...late night on CC.</p>
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<p>Grinnell is right up your alley. You still have to have a major, but it’s very easy to create your own major. It’s a small LAC with small class sizes and lots of discussion. The foreign languages are also VERY strong. It’s the #1 producer of students who go on to earn foreign language doctorates.</p>
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<p>You want to be looking at LACs. They emphasize critical thinking, interdisciplinary study, and intellectual curiosity – and all of those things require discussion, not lecture. LACs tend to be small, with a low student/teacher ratio (12:1 at my D’s school), and there’s usually a collaborative relationship between professors and students. LACs will also be far more flexible if you wish to design your own course of study. </p>
<p>Grinnell is a great example of this type of school. Here are some others to check out:</p>
<p>[Colleges</a> That Change Lives](<a href=“http://ctcl.org/]Colleges”>http://ctcl.org/)</p>
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<p>LACs it is: But Grinnell is very rural. Take a look at Vassar, Macalester, and Rhodes - some examples of the urban LACs. There are also others that are suburban areas with access to cities (Swarthmore, Haverford, Pomona, Claremont McKenna) or located in interesting college towns (Amherst).</p>
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<p>I agree with the posters above: LACs in general have the focus you want. (As do some universities with undergraduate populations around 4,000-5,000.) Unfortunately, not too many of them are urban. But, as M’s Mom says, there are a fair number just outside cities or in nice college towns.</p>
<p>If you would give us some idea of your stats and financial requirements, we could probably make more specific suggestions.</p>
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<p>what other posters have said is right; you should be looking at LACs</p>
<p>Discussion-based classes are not exclusive to LACs. There are universities whose undergraduate programs take this approach. Chicago is one example (there are doubtless a number of others).</p>
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<p>HST, I agree, and said that above. Unfortunately, the OP does not appear to have the stats to be a realistic candidate at the U of C or at the other mid-sized universites that spring to mind when one thinks of that kind of undergraduate teaching (Brown, Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, et al). Which is why I didn’t list them specifically.</p>
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<p>I think the discussion format depends more on the course topic and on the particular professor than on the college. But, do you really want to pay tuition to sit in a classroom and discuss with other students? How much can you learn from that? Much better to listen to the knowledge and thinking of a professor. I think 90% lecture and 10% discussion is a good ratio even in the humanities and social sciences. College should be for those who are interested and who have at least a two-hour attention span.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I agree that often the type of class is what will influence the format…lecture vs discussion. </p>
<p>I can’t imagine many math, bio or chem classes (not the lab parts) being mostly “discussion”…the profs do have to present/teach the concepts. These aren’t subjective subjects where one person’s opinion about the answers is “equal” to another’s. </p>
<p>I can see that many humanities classes could be “discussion.” The Honors College classes at my kids’ school are largely discussion-based…but those classes aren’t hard science or math. They’re an array of ethics classes, literature classes, history classes, common book experiences, current events, creative writing, etc.</p>
<p>If the discussion is guided by a knowledgeable and skilled teacher, you will learn more than from a lecture, especially if the discussion focuses on work the students have prepared before the class. Tons of research show that active learners learn more than passive ones.</p>
<p>There’s nothing you can get from a lecture that you couldn’t get more completely and more efficiently from a textbook. Of course, a lecture takes a lot less thought and work to prepare than a well-crafted discussion-based class, which is one reason that a lot of classes are still lectures, even in environments where class sizes would lend themselves to more interactive approaches. </p>
<p>Well-crafted and led discussions also are a lot more work for students, especially if the students are expected to be prepared beforehand - which is why many students like lectures, but is also why discussions are better vehicles for learning. </p>
<p>Telling != teaching! </p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC App</p>