Byrne seminar program, in its fifth year, offers first-year students a close-up look at faculty research
When Melissa Feinberg, associate professor of history and women’s and gender studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, attended Museum of Modern Art in New York’s exhibition “Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen” last fall, she had an aha moment.
The exhibition showcased a kitchen designed for public housing in Frankfurt, Germany, during the 1920s. Intrigued with the link between kitchen design, politics, and gender roles, Feinberg submitted a proposal which ultimately led to her teaching “The Modern Kitchen” this fall through the Byrne Family First-Year Seminar program.
Feinberg is one of 78 tenured Rutgers faculty members to participate in the Byrne Seminars this semester. The one-credit courses offer students a chance to explore science, art, politics, and other topics as they learn from professors who are deeply – and often passionately – immersed in research.
“Kitchens are political in many ways, both in their design and the meanings we give to them,” says Feinberg, whose course spans the 20th century. The class of 20 students – predominantly women – will gain perspective on kitchen design and gender roles through topics they likely haven’t thought about, such as the wartime kitchen of the ‘40s and ways politicians use kitchen imagery in their campaigns to combat obesity.
Feinberg’s goal is “to inspire students to think about the politics of the ordinary, both in the present and the past.”
In its fifth year, the Byrne Seminar program is a central part of the transformation of undergraduate education in New Brunswick implemented by Rutgers President Richard McCormick, explains Meghan Gelardi Holmes, director of the program, administered through the Office of Undergraduate Education.
Each year, about 25 percent of first-years enroll in the program that offers about 75 courses each semester. “We aim to keep pace with enrollment and provide enough spots for 50 percent of first-years to take a seminar,” says Holmes. This fall, 1,333 students are enrolled, the highest number to date.
Rutgers alumnus John J. “Jack” Byrne and his wife, Dorothy, donated $2 million to set the program in motion in 2007. Byrne received a degree in mathematics in 1954. A native of New Jersey, he is retired from the insurance industry and lives with his wife in New Hampshire.
The 10-week, 80-minute courses with a pass/no credit grading structure begin the second week of each semester and are capped at 20 students. There are no final exams, and the courses feature enrichment activities, such as field trips and guest speakers.
Popular topics in recent years have included “Anatomy of a Broadway Show,” “Self and its Disorders: Modern and Postmodern,” and “Cancer: Can It Be Prevented?” and “The Meaning of Video-gaming.”
Highlights this semester include “Growing Up on Psychiatric Medicines,” which explores the role pharmaceuticals such as Ritalin and Xanax on today’s youth,” and “Money,” which introduces students to the nature, role, history, impact, art, and future of money.
Although there are often reading and writing assignments, the stress of studying for exams is lifted, enabling students to learn in a stimulating, engaging, and “out-of-the-box” environment, Holmes says.
This year, the program has taken as its theme “Re-Imagining the City,” to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. “We would like to motivate students to think about the meaning of cities – and how they are changing over time,” Holmes says.
A dozen or so courses supporting the theme are being offered this fall and spring, such as: “Don’t Blame Cities for Climate Change,” “Yankee Stadium,” “Utopia,” and “New Urbanism: The Cities in the 21st Century.”
Holmes, who previously served as an assistant curator at the Skinner Museum of Mount Holyoke College and ran professional development programs for K-12 history teachers, says a goal of the seminars is to engage students with the university from the outset.
“We want to break down barriers, create a smaller community, and connect students with premiere faculty members,” Holmes says. “We also want students to understand what research faculty members have to offer, and what it means to have an academic mentor.”
Milton Heumann has been a professor of political science and pre-law advisor at Rutgers for 30 years. Recipient of the 2011 Teaching and Mentoring Award from the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association, he has taught in the Byrne program since its inception.
Heumann’s seminar, “Criminal Court War Stories,” examines the complexities of crime analysis in the courtroom. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges reflect on highlights from criminal cases.
Heumann, who is passionate about the Byrne seminars, makes a commitment to meet one-on-one with each student at the onset of the semester. “I think it has made a difference,” says Heumann, who encourages first-years to be proactive and seek advice and guidance from professors.
Carolyn Williams, chair of Rutgers’ Department of English and a professor here for more than 20 years, has also been an ardent advocate since the program launched. “It is a huge pleasure to teach Poets of New Jersey,” says Williams. “New Jersey is chock full of famous poets, past and present.”
Williams’ students have created class anthologies – some incorporating their original poetry – and taken field trips to the Dodge Poetry Festival.
In addition to forging mentor-mentee bonds that evolve from the intimate group setting, Williams underscores another key objective of the seminars: “We would like students to understand what it is to be a research university, and that what their professors are doing has a direct impact on New Jersey.”
For a look at this year’s seminars, visit the fall and spring listings.