One of the most innovative things here at Tufts is something called the Experimental College, or ExCollege. The ExCollege basically serves as a venue for interdisciplinary, experiential classes that fall outside the realm of more traditional academics. These classes can include anything from Genetics, Ethics and Law to Rape Aggression Defense, and can count towards requirements, certain majors, and the credits required for graduation. Faculty members, community leaders and even students can apply to teach an ExCollege class, and a panel of faculty and students work together to select each semester's offerings. More information, including course listings, can be found on the ExCollege's website.
I've taken a number of ExCollege classes during my time here. From my freshmen advising seminar ("Presidential Elections" during the 2004 Kerry-Bush race) and "Israeli Foreign Policy and National Security" (taught by a former Israeli intelligence officer and based on many in-class simulations), to "Marketing for Social Change" and my current "Politics and the Blogosphere" class, the ExCollege has definitely provided me with the opportunity to infuse my education with some hands-on learning.
My current class, Politics and the Blogosphere, is taught by former Massachusetts legislator Peter Morin. Students from all backgrounds -- be it political science or computer science -- are not only learning about the blogosphere's influence on our political system, but also getting the opportunity to become bloggers ourselves. Appropriately titled Jumbo Pundits, our blog focuses on Election 2008 and has been garnering readership from not only all over the US, but also in places as far as Turkey, Columbia, Italy, France, Portugal, Sweden and Spain!
I encourage you all to not only check out the blog, but also to contribute your own two cents in the comments section. You can find it at tuftsclass.blogspot.com.
PS -- While the Republicans' mascot is the elephant, I think it's pretty safe to say that our Jumbo is bipartisan.
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