<p>thefunnything-- that’s not cynical, that’s reality. I don’t think a lot of people at Brown are concerned with how to use the Open Curriculum effectively, they just use it. The end goal of your college education should have virtually nothing to do with the Open Curriculum. The Open Curriculum simply facilitates accomplishing what you want out of your education, however deep or shallow that is, in a unique fashion.</p>
<p>Anyone who doesn’t think the Open Curriculum creates a pervasive and unique atmosphere can do a quick check. Think about the conversations you and your friends about about course selection, even if you’re a pre-med double concentrator in X and Y and always knew that would be the case and carefully planned everything. That conversation about choosing courses that I found to be absolutely universal at Brown is completely unique. Almost none of my friends at other schools knew their course book as deeply, discussed selection of courses so vigorously, or carefully selected their third, fourth, and fifth classes seeking balance, coverage, and enjoyment in quite the same way. The few people at other schools I met who really treated their course selection the way Brown students did were exceptions, not the rule. At Brown, everyone goes through the same process and struggle to some extent. It’s a major part of what unifies a culture at Brown. More than a football team or thriving Greek scene, Brown students are united on largely one bit of culture-- the selection of courses.</p>
<p>The point is that even floating through the Open Curriculum without reflecting at all on the curriculum itself, the act of course selection at Brown and culture around produces a different experience. I believe it makes it far more likely that people leave Brown owning their experience, finding obscure connections between disparate course work, and being capable of seeking out new learning and experience in far flung areas independently to fill their gaps. I think a Brown student is more likely to leave knowing what they don’t know and having a strong sense of how to get “there” if they need to. Of course students everywhere have that ability, but I think Brown’s culture and the Open Curriculum does a lot more to assure this.</p>