The perfect class for the season

If Penn students agree on one thing, it's that spring is the best time of the school year. When winter subsides and the weather gets warm, campus comes alive. Going to class becomes a distraction from the fun of the day. Chemistry, or College Green with my homies? Poli Sci recitation at 9 a.m., or living it up at Smokes' on Thursday night?

It doesn't have to be this way. Now that we're in the trenches of advance registration, we should think about taking classes that go along with the flavor of the spring. Why not something a little different? Something off the cuff? Something as effortlessly inspiring as 70 degrees and sunny on a lazy afternoon?

During my determined search for such a class I found "Writing Out Loud." It's taught by accomplished playwright, actress and poet Oni Faida Lampley. The class strives to "engage students in the rigorous process of mining their own experiences for material that can be transformed into a public performance."

When Paul Farber, a 2005 College graduate and freelance writer, (see his work in the likes of Vibe and Complex magazines) signed up for the class last year, he was feeling unfulfilled by his coursework. "Writing Out Loud" turned out to be just what he was searching for.

"In a lot of classes at Penn, you are shown how to write, how to act, how to make arguments," Farber said. "The experience in [Lampley's] class was about pushing you to something that not only fit well in terms of achievement, but also a kind of personal fulfillment. We would joke and say the class is like therapy."

And couldn't we all use a little of that? Maybe I was idealistic, but I always imagined college as a time when I would "find" myself. More often than not, the only place I find myself is in the library at 4 in the morning frantically writing papers about dead white men. Farber explained that Lampley's class offers a more organic and individually relevant learning experience.

"I had plenty of writing classes, but this was as much of a writing class as a class on viewing yourself. Before I left college I wanted to have an experience in a workshop that would light a creative fire, that focused not necessarily on the output but on the process."

Don't get it twisted, though; "Writing Out Loud" is no easy stroll down Locust. Class participants are expected to write detailed journals, keep up with outside readings and actively engage in the intensive, three-hour class workshops that culminate in a final performance. Though Lampley does not check the journals, Farber explained that consistent journaling is essential to the self-analysis that is the backbone of the class.

"This is a class where a lot of the work that's done is emotional work. It's work that you put in looking at yourself through various lenses. In other classes, you read the bulkpack and it doesn't matter what you're doing in your own life, but here you have to bring a lot of your personal experiences to the table. If you're not willing to do that, then this class is not really set up for you. You can take Econ if you want."

And honestly, have you ever known anyone who was inspired by economics? OK, don't answer that.

My point is simply that introspective learning is often overlooked. There's a lot to be gained from the analysis of personal experience. How else does one create art? Even those who are not artistically inclined can benefit from such an experience. We came to Penn for a well-rounded education. It is our responsibility to make sure that's what we get.

So while planning our spring semesters, lets push ourselves toward inspiration. Figure out what gets you going and find at least one class to nurture that. "Writing Out Loud" is at the top of my list, but there are plenty more classes out there just waiting to be discovered by you.

For a similarly engaging experience, I also recommend Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education, listed as Education 566.

Spring is a time of renewal. Let's renew our commitment to self-development.

Titilola Bakare is a senior English major from Harrisburg, Pa. Notes from the Underground appears on Thursdays.

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