2013–2014 The Bulletin - USS at Tufts - Tufts University

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Experimental College
The Experimental College is gearing up for a
special moment: its 50th anniversary celebration
during academic year 2014. This marks the
Experimental College as one of the nation’s oldest
and most successful centers for educational
innovation within the setting of a traditional liberal
arts university. Throughout its history, the Experimental
College has embodied the commitment of
Tufts University to the vitality of the undergraduate
experience. To this end, the college has become a
place where faculty, administrators, and students
work together to offer a carefully selected range of
courses intended to broaden and enrich the
traditional curriculum.
Governed by an elected board consisting of
faculty, staff, and students, the goals of the Experimental
College are to introduce new, typically
unavailable topics and approaches to students at a
formative time in their academic careers, fill gaps in
conventional curriculum, contemporize education
by teaching timely, situational topics in a small class
setting, and engage students in shaping their own
education.
In addition to our elective courses, the Experimental
College also administers two peer taught
first year programs called Explorations and Perspectives.
Both of them combine advising and academics
with peer-group support and close contact among
entering students, upper-level undergraduates, and
concerned faculty.
Please note: the Experimental College does not
offer any academic concentrations of its own.
However, certain courses will sometimes be crossregistered
with a specific department or program,
while others may be approved in advance for
distribution credit or after-the-fact, on an individual
basis, by petition.
The Experimental College also provides forums
for inquiry such as noncredit colloquia, conferences,
and workshops that meet the expressed needs of the
university community as a whole. Finally, it houses
such interdisciplinary programs as Communications
and Media Studies and TuftsFilmWorks.
More information regarding the programs
and activities of the Experimental College is
available from the office at 95 Talbot Avenue, at
www.excollege.tufts.edu, or by calling
617-627-3384.
Experimental College Courses
Designed primarily for undergraduates, Experimental
College courses are open to all members of
the university. They are credit-bearing electives
taught in accordance with university standards.
Students should refer to the Ex College website for
specific information, detailed course descriptions,
and daily updates.
Instructors in the Experimental College are, in
large measure, professionals from the greater
Boston community, across a wide variety of fields,
who have some special expertise to share. A few,
select upper-level undergraduates are also given the
opportunity to teach courses of their own design,
graded on a pass-fail basis.
On average, the Experimental College offers
close to sixty courses each year. A selected list of
some recent offerings follows.
Making Movies
Cardiovascular Healthcare in the 21st Century
American Wilderness
Experimenting with Philanthropy
Sabermetrics: The Objective Analysis of Baseball
Harry Potter and Christian Thought
Mechanics and Design
Microfinance
The Right to Privacy in Modern America
Medical Spanish
Katrina/New Orleans
YouTube Culture
David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest
Explorations
Explorations are intended to both establish a sense
of community and promote critical thinking. Each
Exploration group consists of twelve to fourteen
entering students who meet weekly in academic
seminars designed and team-taught by two upperlevel
students. A faculty member or professional
staff person serves as academic advisor to the
first-year students. Thus, incoming students receive
both immediate and sustained support.
Perspectives
Like Explorations, the Perspectives program uses
upper-level students as peer teachers and advisors,
but rather than each team of student leaders
choosing their own subject area, all the groups
attempt to answer questions about the movies as
art, business, and culture. The work done by each
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