Wondering what to expect in a College of Arts and Sciences classroom? While the complete answer depends on your instructor’s style, you’ll find a few common themes.
You’ve got class
Make your voice heard
Classroom participation is not only expected, it’s encouraged—after all, two of the College’s goals are to teach you to think logically and question critically. And if you don’t understand something, chances are you aren’t alone. It’s okay to ask your instructor to clarify a point. The more you actively engage with your instructors and classmates, the easier it will be to learn the material (and also earn the grades you want).
Size up your classroom
You might attend a twice-weekly lecture with dozens of other students, but only 25 of them are in your discussion section. Or you might have a class with only 15 people in it. Generally, class sizes in the College are relatively small—and become smaller as you get further into your studies.
Not all the College’s classes are held in classrooms. You might take a geology class field trip to examine the strata of a cliff face. Or you might head to the IU Research and Teaching Preserve to learn about ecology. No matter what your field of study is, on a nice day, your instructor might choose to hold class in the Arboretum.
Coming to such a well-established liberal arts program with so many options has opened my eyes. I’ve talked to people who do physics and business and health psychology—so many different things, but they can do it all in the College. I’m very happy that I get to be a part of that.
Mitali Nag, psychology major
