<p>And what did you think? I've done it, and not only during Parents & Family Weekend, which I did not attend. I'm very impressed with the faculty and teaching that I've seen so far. One prof even invited me to participate, an opportunity I eagerly accepted. The experience has made me feel a lot better about Oberlin's crazy expensive tuition and R&B. It was a different experience from decades ago when I was a freshman. The main difference is these kids are a lot smarter than the classmates I remember from my old alma mater. I think Oberlin College is going to turn out to be a good investment in my child.</p>
<p>I sat in on some English classes, one on poetry and another on Shakespeare, and a comp. lit. introductory course (that was what I studied in college and grad school) - I thought they were great, with lots of class discussion, students seeming very comfortable with the material and with discussing it, respectful of each other even when they disagreed, well moderated by the professor. The poetry instructor was amazing; the best reading of a TS Eliot and Wallace Stevens poem I’d heard - breathtaking (DeSales Harrison). It’s no wonder that Oberlin English majors go on to grad school in significant numbers.</p>
<p>Attended a French class during Family Weekend. The prof definitely had a no-nonsense approach - no chitchat or idle conversation for the first few minutes or anything like that. Was a little disappointed that so many students came in late. To me that shows disrespect for both the professor and the other students in the class.</p>
<p>DeSales Harrison is fantastic. A wonderful, wonderful professor.</p>
<p>I also attended a class by Thomas Van Nortwick on Tragedy - it was overflowing with students, even though it is a Classics course (in English); he was a very engaging professor and the students there, too, seemed comfortable contributing to the discussion.</p>
<p>I sat in on Wendell Logan’s Intro to African American Music class, which is cross-listed under African American Studies, Music History and Jazz. It was an amazing class, listening to original jazz recordings from the 20’s and 30’s drawn from the Conservatory’s huge collection and some of Logan’s private stock. He is the genuine article and he tied together elements of social studies, musicology and musical performance with some great personal stories about the people making the music on those recordings. If the other lectures were even half as good as this one, this class is an opportunity not to be missed.</p>
<p>BassDad,</p>
<p>thanks for your post. S2 is applying to Oberlin College, not Conservatory, and I’m encouraged by your various posts about the music opportunities for non-con students. S2 is nuts about early Jazz. I’ll alert him to this class.</p>
<p>I think it’s fantastic that Oberlin encourages parents to attend classes on these occasions.</p>
<p>^
Neumes, I visited my daughter’s classes on an ordinary week day. It wasn’t a special occasion like Parents and Family Weekend. I just happen to drive out there. I did ask her to email her profs a day or two in advance to make sure it was okay. I will definitely do it again some time during Spring semester, to check out her new classes. Why wait for a special invitation? I think the best time to visit your kid’s class is when it is not crowded with other parents during a special occasion. :)</p>
<p>Plainsman, that’s even more impressive, that it wasn’t parents’ weekend!</p>
<p>I sat in on an art history first year seminar during visting weekend this past Nov, which I loved. In fact, it was one of the many highlights of the visiting weekend. My son and I also sat in on a neuroscience class while visiting when he was a high school junior. In both cases, the professors were quite welcoming and dynamic and I loved those opportunities to get a sense of the classroom vibe at Oberlin.</p>