Students have class outdoors near blackboard outside HSSC

In the Classroom

Small class sizes. Intense discussions. Hands-on learning. Engaged students and excited faculty. Find out why U.S. News and World Report ranks us #3 for our classroom experience.

Creating My Own Path

Ahon Gooptu ’21 describes how the flexibility of Grinnell’s curriculum ensures a broad, balanced variety of classes.

Discover Your Interests

Mithila Iyer ’19 shares her First-Year Tutorial and how it changed her experience at Grinnell.

A Common Understanding

Nat Jordan ’21 shares why the individually advised curriculum at Grinnell is so critical to classroom engagement.

Hungry for more?

Hear more from our students in our “video viewbook” — a collection of student and faculty videos that will show you how far the individually advised, globally informed, inquiry-led curriculum at Grinnell can take you.

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Music with Professor Mark Laver

Learn about jazz composer Duke Ellington and more.

Want to keep learning about music with Mark Laver? Check out his lecture on American classical music and the music of New Orleans.

Tutorial session with Kevin Engel and Professor Sandquist

Biology with Professor Josh Sandquist

Learn about cortical rotation and more.

History with Professor Sarah Purcell

Learn about the election of 1800 and more.

Want to keep learning about history from Sarah Purcell? Check out her lecture on the rise of party politics.

Where We All Want to Be in the Room

Sociology Professor Karla Erickson describes the unique relationship between students and their advisers as they navigate Grinnell’s individually advised curriculum.

First and Foremost, a Teacher

Stephanie Jones, assistant professor of education, describes her educational philosophy, how faculty craft engaging courses, and how Grinnell students challenge her to be her best.

Equipping Students to Find their Own Path in the World

Professor Henry Rietz describes the Grinnell College community, including students and alumni.

Professor of Political Science

Barbara Trish

Inside the Bubble: Campaigns, Caucuses, and the Future of the Presidential Nomination Process

Marshall Poe ’84 talked to Barbara Trish, professor of political science at Grinnell College, about her new book (co-authored with William Menner) Inside the Bubble: Campaigns, Caucuses, and the Future of the Presidential Nomination Process (Routledge, 2021).

L.F. Parker Professor of History

Sarah Purcell ’92

Spectacle of Grief: Public Funerals and Memory in the Civil War Era

Spectacle of Grief: Public Funerals and Memory in the Civil War Era (UNC Press, 2022) examines how the public funerals of major figures from the Civil War era shaped public memories of the war and allowed a diverse set of people to contribute to changing American national identities. As Sarah J. Purcell reveals, Americans’ participation in these funeral rites led to contemplation and contestation over the political and social meanings of the war and the roles played by the honored dead.

Professor Emeritus and President Emeritus

George Drake ’56

Marshall Poe ’84 talked to George Drake, historian, professor emeritus, and president emeritus of Grinnell College. George has written a memoir: Seventy Years in Academe. George brought a wealth of experience to the interview. They talked about a lot of things: why he elected to go to Grinnell, his experience as a Rhodes Scholar, how he got his first academic job, how he became president of Grinnell, the challenges he faced as president, and his rich life after he stepped down as president in 1991.