Fliers, Photos Lure Students to Classes

Ec 10 and Chem 7 can pack lecture halls any semester. But what about Ancient Near East 102?

To draw students to small, obscure or traditionally-undersubscribed subjects, professors and teaching fellows have followed the lead of innumerable student organizations--postering across campus.

The flier for "Ancient Near East 102: Introduction to Mesopotamian Religion," a class taught by Professor of Assyriology Piotr Steinkeller, featured course meeting information, a brief syllabus, and something extra to attract the attention of jaded shoppers: a drawing of cows.

"I think it's probably a feeling when you're having a new course, especially during shopping period, that you want people to know it exists," said Dr. Jonathan M. Mann '67, Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of Health and Human Rights.

Mann's general education elective, "AIDS, Health and Human Rights," drew a packed hall for the first lecture, but the professor said he was not sure how much his advertising efforts had contributed to the crowd.

"you have to market a little bit," he said. "it might stimulate someone to come to a course that they might otherwise not have known existed."

Linda Schlossberg, a teaching fellow for Literature 114, "Introduction to Cultural Studies," said she put up fliers for the course because simply listing the class in the course cata- logue had left many students unaware of itsexistence.

"We put [fliers] up because a kind of informalsurvey showed that most students hadn't heardabout [the course]," Schlossberg said.

Schlossberg's fliers, for a class taught byProfessor of English Marjorie Garber, feature asketch from the 1950s of a woman wearingleopard-skin clothing, standing in a living roomdecorated entirely in leopard-skin prints.

The goal of fliers goes beyond crasscommercialism, course heads said. "It's not amarketing or competitive issue," Mann said. "Wekind of did it for the fun of it."

Although teachers were skeptical whether thefliers would produce a significant response, theysaid they felt the effort was worth a try. "Wejust try to get the information out any way thatwe can," said Susan J. Smith, programadministrator for Folklore and Mythology, whoseposters featured photographs and cartoon sketches.

Students interviewed yesterday, however, saidthe artistic endeavor may have gone to waste. "Ireally don't think they're effective because theyblend in with everything else," said Trey Morris'98. "They don't really stand out and say,' Hey,I'm a class; you should take me.'

"We put [fliers] up because a kind of informalsurvey showed that most students hadn't heardabout [the course]," Schlossberg said.

Schlossberg's fliers, for a class taught byProfessor of English Marjorie Garber, feature asketch from the 1950s of a woman wearingleopard-skin clothing, standing in a living roomdecorated entirely in leopard-skin prints.

The goal of fliers goes beyond crasscommercialism, course heads said. "It's not amarketing or competitive issue," Mann said. "Wekind of did it for the fun of it."

Although teachers were skeptical whether thefliers would produce a significant response, theysaid they felt the effort was worth a try. "Wejust try to get the information out any way thatwe can," said Susan J. Smith, programadministrator for Folklore and Mythology, whoseposters featured photographs and cartoon sketches.

Students interviewed yesterday, however, saidthe artistic endeavor may have gone to waste. "Ireally don't think they're effective because theyblend in with everything else," said Trey Morris'98. "They don't really stand out and say,' Hey,I'm a class; you should take me.'