you will rarely
hear the same thing.
hear the same thing.
identity is shaped.
public action and music. But you will rarely
course of study unfolds and an intellectual
studies and business; theatre and mediation;
It is within this framework that each student’s
dance; anthropology and design; environmental might hear photography and Chinese; pre-med and
and their connection to the world.
peace building, objecthood, or literature. You
panel, to explore their interests, their passions,
human form, listening, education reform, systems,
with their faculty advisor, as well as a faculty
You might hear things like globalization, the
requirements—Bennington students work closely At Bennington students design their education
the
w w w . be nni ngt on. e du go
When you ask Bennington students what they study Visit Camille’s s page [www.bennington.edu/CamilleMcIntyre.aspx] to browse the courses she took; view a slideshow of her work; and check out her Field Work Term experiences.
using a structure called The Plan Process.
three-dimentional
HYBRID
—Camille McIntyre ’11 Brooklyn, NY Areas of Study: Animation & Biology
Rather than declaring a major—with core course
What originally brought me to Bennington was the science program. I came for a visit and sat in on one of [faculty member] Betsy Sherman’s classes, and fell in love with the way she taught. The atmosphere didn’t feel like a lecture; it was more like a discussion in a living room about biology. All of the classes I visited had that feel to them. When I first got to Bennington, I automatically went for science classes. I never thought to take visual art, but then I decided to take Introduction to Animation, and that’s when I had an epiphany: ‘Maybe I can put art and science together.’ For my senior project I created a 3-D behavioral model of crayfish. There was a chemical component to mating rituals and by creating 3-D behavioral models I was able to explore how visual aspects of crayfish behavior influenced mating.
I transferred to Bennington my sophomore year, from a school where doing what I wanted to do would have meant a double major and several minors. I wanted to study environmental studies and economics, and I wanted music to be a part of my college experience, even if it wasn’t the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. At Bennington I could sit down with faculty and say, ‘This is what I want to study,’ which is different from ‘this is my major.’ My concentration was still environmental studies, but what changed was how I focused my efforts. For example, I took architecture on a whim—I didn’t know the first thing about it. But after taking it, I understood how well it encapsulated everything that I was studying: economics, sociology, the environmental impact of building. What cemented it for me was taking a design lab called Critical Practice in Design. It was in that lab that I realized design is a lot about harnessing the ability to connect seemingly disparate things.
OVERLAPS
Visit Farhad’s page [www.bennington.edu/FarhadMirza.aspx] to browse the courses he took; view a slideshow of his work; and check out his Field Work Term experiences.
“Why are doorframes made to be seven feet high? Why are desks usually four feet from the floor? Why does a Greek column suggest the human body? It’s because our first point of reference is always the human form. It’s people who are our constant.” It comes as no surprise, then, when asked what connects and defines his college interests, that Farhad Mirza ’12 doesn’t say architecture—or literature, or theater (his other interests). Instead, what he talks about are human beings. Architecture, he explains, is very much defined by people since it is an art form meant to be inhabited by people. And literature, he says, offers a rich and explicit way to understand “what people are about, what their behaviors are.” Farhad likes these kinds of conversations; he appreciates even more the ways intellectual pursuits intersect: the relationships between literature and architecture, between science and art, between people and place. So much so that he has crafted his education around what could be called the “overlaps.” —Farhad Mirza ’12 Karachi, Pakistan Areas of Study: Drama & Architecture
the big picture Visit Crystal’s page [www.bennington.edu/CrystalBarrick.aspx] to browse the courses she took; view a slideshow of her work; and check out her field work term experiences.
I like to fix things. To analyze and scaffold them—to find the potential strengths in a piece of writing or an idea; in a student or a discussion; and then bring it out, strengthen it, and help it grow. At Bennington, I’ve explored this passion mostly through writing and education reform. Yet, no matter which courses I enroll in, I strive to develop my capacity to communicate, to form arguments, to analyze language, to understand conflicts and tensions, and to gain a better understanding of how to have an impact on the world and better our country’s educational system. I’ve studied literature,
public action, education, Spanish, conflict resolution, Plato, and rhetoric. My Rethinking Education design lab and other courses at Bennington’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) have attracted me to ‘big picture’ reform. My work is informed not only by years of community involvement, but also by intense study of national reform models, educational policy, politics, and philosophy. It is a practical culmination—an action—based on years of inquiry. —Crystal Barrick ’11 Haverhill, MA Areas of Study: Liberal Arts
—Shane Chase ’11 Athol, MA Areas of Study: Architecture & Environmental Studies
connect the seemingly disparate Visit Shane’s page [www.bennington.edu/ShaneChase.aspx] to browse the courses he took; view a slideshow of his work; and check out his Field Work Term experiences.
I don’t know what I am.
I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing—a noun.
cut along solid white lines d fol ng
alo ine
el hit
dw
tte
do s
I seem to be a verb an evolutionary process. —R. Buckminster Fuller Inventor, architect, poet, environmentalist, and mathematician, Fuller was the father of alumna Allegra Fuller Snyder ’51 and a frequent visitor and lecturer at Bennington. He constructed the first model of his Dymaxion House on Bennington’s campus, where it remained for several years.