The Art of Discovery

Individualized education — it’s at the heart of the Grinnell experience. Students are expected to work with faculty to create their own paths of learning, explore their own interests, and gain knowledge in the way that works for them.

The senior seminar, required of all art history majors in their final year of study, requires students to put this concept into practice as they form a thesis based on individual research on topics of their own choosing.

“The department really wanted to make it explicit that the students were expected to be creating independent research,” says Jenny Anger, professor of art history. “We decided to open the course up to allow students to pursue different interest areas, and it’s worked really well.”

Prior to 2015, the course focused on a single theme, chosen by the professor, that each student would study and develop a thesis about. Anger taught the first class in the new format, and her students studied subjects as varied as the depictions of animal cruelty in British art from 1750 to 1850, the exploration and suppression of the Victorian female appetite, and the presence of gold in the church of Santo Domingo.

“It was exciting,” says Anger. “We had no idea how it was going to turn out so we truly were pioneers, but it worked out really well.” “The wide range of topics the students pursue is fascinating.”

A Shared Experience

Amelia Geser ’19 and Vivien Makos ’19 participated in the seminar in fall 2017, under the tutelage of Professor Eiren Shea. While Geser focused on modern Japanese art in the Meiji period, Makos researched Greek pottery in the Classical period.

“I didn’t really know what to expect going into the seminar but was happy to discover that I would choose my own area of research and explore what I was interested in,” says Geser.

While exploring an area of personal interest with assistance and guidance from a professor made the class more meaningful for Geser, she says working with others in the class who were pursuing very different interests was also beneficial.

“A big part of the experience was learning alongside others,” Geser says. “Whether it was brainstorming topics, doing preliminary research, or peer editing, it was very helpful to have Vivien and others there.”

With the goal being to make their research findings understandable to people with little or no knowledge the subject matter, this input from peers during the course proved invaluable.

“Amelia and I met in the library and we’d read over each other’s papers,” Makos recalls. “She was a great audience for me as I tried to state my arguments clearly. At the same time, I had no background on the Meiji period of Japanese art, so I was the perfect audience for her. “

Ready for the Future

Both Makos and Geser look back on the seminar as a lesson in “how” to learn, rather than “what” to learn. Rather than absorbing information from someone who already holds it, the class taught them both how to find and distill information for themselves.

“There was a lot of trial and error,” says Geser. “Sometimes you’d write several pages and then just have to scrap it. It was challenging, but in the end it’s great to have something you can discuss with anyone and be proud of. It was definitely worth the effort. If I do go to graduate school I will definitely be prepared for whatever work is required.”