I am a Religion major and both of my roommates are English majors. One of them is a creative writing major. Having heard them discuss their respective writing classes at Dartmouth, I decided to finally take one. It had been almost four years since I took English 5, so I figured that I would submit a sample to the department and take my chances. I was excited and very surprised to gain acceptance to English 80 for this term.
I already had two other classes chosen, both major classes, and I figured that I would really enjoy the opportunity to take this class. I didn't realize, however, that I would have to drop the class because of a technicality with which I was not familiar: arranged classes. "What does that mean?" I asked my English major roommates and friends. I had never had a class before where our meeting time was scheduled at the first meeting time of the class. I was disappointed when my class was blitzed a message from the English department instructing us to come to class at 1p.m. Thursday. Class would be held from 1-4.
Immediately I realized that English 80 would conflict with my Religion seminar at the 2A slot, which I was required to take for graduation. By the time you get to senior winter you realize that not every class situation works out the way expected, but this really annoyed me. On the first day of class when we all arrived in the poetry room in Sanborn, our professor excused himself while we all decided the time of our class. He had offered us one alternative to our class time which was not an alternative to others in our class.
It is important that I note here that in no way am I angry with any of my fellow students in my former class. I am adamant that it is not the responsibility of the students to decided when to have class. That is why I am writing this column. We all (students and faculty) have commitments, and we all have priorities that we must acknowledge, but what was I supposed to do -- start a fist fight just so I could take English 80? We should have been able to come to an agreement on class time, and if that was not the case our professor should have offered a second or third alternative to the Thursday slot.
To have two people leave a 10-person class is, in my opinion, lame and not representative of the quality of education offered at Dartmouth. I would like to offer an alternative to this unfortunate situation: I think the best solution to a problem like this is simply to eliminate the possibility of an arranged time. But if absolutely necessary then at least publish an arranged time ahead of schedule. The English department is thorough in publishing a list of prospective courses each term and the professors thought to be teaching those courses. But this list is most incomplete with a vague listing of arranged times listed under the time column.
I realize that sometimes changes must be made to accommodate certain schedules, and I am flexible in those situations. But I feel like maybe I was too flexible in this case. I walked out of a class that I wanted to take and probably will not be able to take next term. I wonder why the English department feels compelled to alter class schedules and deviate from the rest of the College's timetable? I know of other students who have also walked out of classes due to arranged schedules. It is very disappointing to have worked hard for acceptance into a competitive class, simply to have to walk away from it. I forgive the English department for their ways, I just hope that other students are given more flexibility in their class choices.
