The Francis Wayland Collegium for Liberal Learning was established in 1980 as a community of faculty united by a unique system of support for inquiries focused on global and interdisciplinary perspectives on significant issues of human life. One of our most important functions is to have lunch together once a month. At our luncheons we get to talk to colleagues outside our own departments and to learn about the scholarly activities that others are engaged in. In October, for example, Cynthia Garcia-Coll, Eileen Landay and Adeline Becker spoke about their work in the public school systems. There they both learn about child development and interact to change and reform primary and secondary education.
Brown students work as part of their research teams.
The November luncheon will feature David Kertzer, Mary Carskadon and Darrell West, all talking about academia and the mass media. Hearing from our colleagues and discussing and arguing with one another about some of the broader questions of academic life is exciting and stimulating. Over the course of my almost 30 years at Brown my own field has changed dramatically. Vast new areas of scholarship have opened up, both within biology but for me, in the fields of gender studies and science studies as well. The question of faculty development how to provide room for continued intellectual growth over a career lifetime is crucial for any university, but especially one so top-heavy with senior faculty.