There are two kinds of classes; some were intentionally made for the internet, so there are podcasts and pdf documents and the lectures are thoughtful and concise. These are the winners, and represent a great group of people who just sincerely love what they teach and want more people to access information about it. The other style is more voyeuristic, like someone brought a video camera to class and you can watch the recorded lecture. There aren't any supplemental readings, and often they don't bother to include information on what textbooks they're using. You can guess which style I prefer.
The first "day" of each class can be dull. It's syllabus day without a syllabus, without people in the class, and without interacting with the professor. Still, this first lecture is the most important when it comes to choosing what class to keep and which to delete, because it answers the question:
Does this professor want to talk about himself, or about the class?
I didn't sign up to hear about how an old man earned his Doctorate, or be impressed by all the research he's done, or fangirl over what he's published. We have not yet established any relationship or built a community, but this person has already made every point to prove he is the smartest person in the room and we are all just lucky to hear him speak. These are real schools, where people are paying plenty of money to be there (this style is most popular in the Ivy Leagues, I've noticed) and class time is wasted on a prof stroking his own ego.
Luckily, I already have my degree and I can just delete these annoying professors and move on. But luckier still-- I never had this experience in undergrad. My professors were enthusiastic about knowledge, not themselves. They were plenty impressive, with authors and editors from different mediums. But the only time they discussed their accomplishments was when it was an example of how we (the students) could find our own success.
I am thankful for the English department that became my home: to Jeff, whose class I would have taken 3 more times even though it caused more stress than any other class I had taken; to Garriga, who corrupted all of us into thinking past what was "normal" and encouraged discovery (is anyone surprised that my tattoo commemorating my time as an english major came from his class?); to Dr. Boe, who taught me to love research, something I thought was impossible; and Dr. Kohn, who had the most infectious enthusiasm for her classes it was impossible not to love being there.
I feel the same way about the communications department, where my professors were serious about their work without taking themselves too seriously. My freshman year, in my first communications class, I was told to call my professor by her first name because "she got the doctorate for herself, not for anyone else." While I respect the title, it perfectly sums up my experience at BW.
Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic, and if I were back I would remember the late nights and early mornings filled with reading or the frustration of a 5 page essay that was supposed to be 7. But I don't miss undergrad for the campus life, or the parties, or getting a student discount everywhere. I miss those individuals that made me a smarter, more thoughtful person. I miss the opportunity to be around such impressive people that were willing to put forth the effort so that someday, I might be impressive too.
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