<p>Hi, I just came back from a Blue Devil Day and I loved everything about the school, with one exception. I visited a small (12 students) class called Media, Market, and Mafia. Well, my overall impression of the students and their intellectual enthusiasm in the class was very bad. </p>
<p>First, a lot of students came in late (some by 10 minutes after class started). Cell phones rang. Half the class had laptops, and they were either going on AIM, surfing the net, or doing work for another class. After the guest speaker (a lecturer from Kyrgyzstan) finished lecturing, she asked if anyone had questions. No one raised their hand (well except for one guy who sat in the front row who asked all the questions). Is this all there is to Duke students learning enthusiasm? or intellectual life at the school in general? Most of my classes in high school are more engaging than the one i saw at Duke.</p>
<p>current students, other prospective students, please share your experiences.</p>
<p>Don't judge the academics at Duke by one class. Looking at the course schedules, the class was on a Friday afternoon, when even I get a bit tired. If you'd sat in on my German class, you'd have seen us acting out a German play in groups (my group's was the best, of course), discussing it, and having a lot of fun while doing so. Out of the 9.5 classes I've taken so far, only 1 (Intro Geology) has been less than satisfactory in terms of academic engagement.</p>
<p>It really depends on the course. I took one literature seminar last semester that was very intellectual with a discussion format. Students did most of the talking rather than the professor, and there were never any lectures. There are other courses where the level of interest among the majority of students is much lower, but these are generally easier courses for non-majors (especially science courses for non-majors) or required courses (such as WRI 20, in my experience).</p>
<p>I definitely agree with dukeclassof09. It sounds like a class that wouldnt be a major class, and without a high level of interest in the topic students will not be intellectually involved in anything.</p>
<p>I know for me, as a potential chemistry major, my history class has just been insanely terrible. It's a very easy class to get involved in, but I have no interest. However, stick me in a chem class and I'm very into it. It's just a matter of interest and whether the professor/subject are engaging. And out of all my classes here there's definitely been an intellectual atmosphere (including history minus a select few!!)</p>
<p>I am in that class "Eastern Europe in Transition: Markets, Media, Mafia." (That's its actual title). Most of the people taking the class are taking it for either the Markets & Management certificate, the Media Studies certificate, the ICS major, or the Sociology major. It is an interesting course that people primarily take to knock off requirements, rather than for any sort of academic satisfaction. This is an unfortunate reality. I'm one of those people, but have been so interested by all the work I've done over the course of the semester.</p>
<p>First off-- the professor was away all of last week. There were just two visiting lecturers. Something you will learn in college, even if you CRAVE intellectual discussions and highly engaging course material (like myself), is that if the professor isn't in town and class is in session, you're bitter about it... and if this is on a Friday, it's even worse. In that class when we have guest lecturers and our professor is there, so many people raise hands, no one brings laptops etc. </p>
<p>You saw that class on an off day. On an "on" day (like I'm sure tomorrow will be)-- the entire class engages with the professor. No one's doing other HW, no one's going on AIM, no one's doing the Sudoko. Less than half the class showed up that day because we didn't need to. The professor is a brilliant, funny man who really knows so so so much about the topics. It's actually very interesting.</p>
<p>I will say that if that course didn't fulfill requirements for TWO certificates, I would not be taking it. Not too many people would take it out of genuine interest. It's been a surprisingly solid way to get out of the way and so many students take it as a fifth class (because of how the syllabus is set up). </p>
<p>Don't judge the intellectual climate at Duke (that's such a sweeping statement to make) based on ONE class on a Friday afternoon at the end of the semester when the professor's not even there. No one brought their A-game... and I'm sorry you had to experience it.</p>
<p>Look, it really depends on the classes that you choose. As an incoming freshman, I think the best thing you can do to try to find classes with an intellectual vibe is to do FOCUS, for three reasons: 1. seminar classes (15 people or less) are much more conducive to discussion than other classes. 2. you are with the same group of students, so most students are more comfortable in discussions and 3. the professors for a lot of the foci are top notch....</p>
<p>I've found that in most courses that are required for some reason (e.g. for a certificate) lack intellectualism, because there are people in the class who are in the class for a reason other than their sheer interest in the subject. So, my best suggestion to find classes that meet your standard is to aim for smaller classes that don't seem to be there to serve a requirement. </p>
<p>And, I think, overall at Duke, concern about the intellectual climate is legitimate. There are certainly a bulk of people who just won't engage in intelligent discussion. But, if you self select your classes/friends/environment wisely, you definitely can find a niche where your wants are satisfied.</p>
<p>so it's true then, that many people are really turned off by the lack of intellectualism at duke and end up somewhere else like berkeley and the Ivies. personally i really hate the "work hard, play hard" slogan of the school too, i wish students would realize that work and play are not mutually exclusive.</p>
<p>Eh, you know what. I really have enjoyed studying some of the stuff I've learned in my classes - a lot of it has been work that I've actually looked forward to sitting down and learning, so I can see your point. But sometimes it's hard to feel like work = play when you've pulled two consecutive all-nighters studying (which I have, and it is not fun) and you start to view sleeping, showering, eating, and talking to others as luxuries....yeah, welcome to finals.</p>
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so it's true then, that many people are really turned off by the lack of intellectualism at duke and end up somewhere else like berkeley and the Ivies.
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<p>I like how you disregarded everything said by Duke students in this thread and latched onto a secondhand story posted by someone with no (apparent) relationship to Duke. Good call.</p>
<p>Every top school likes to claim that they're "work hard, play hard."</p>
<p>My friend at Yale has a "work hard, play hard" tshirt. My friend at MIT thinks MIT epitomizes that phrase. It's just something that people tend to shrug off. </p>
<p>I don't think that the majority of the Duke student body feels that work and play are mutually exclusive. I think so many of us have found academic passions that make us all excited and giddy when we take classes and learn new materials. There's a reason why so many Duke students do extra research or take on honors theses, or double major (and still find a way to add a certificate or a minor)... I think, for the most part, Duke students genuinely enjoy learning. We also like to have fun... and that's why we're here.</p>
<p>Threads like this are pointless. As long as there are smart students, there will be intellectual conversations if you seek them. Have some fun and get faded-- that's part of the college experience, right?</p>