As 22 students filed into a small classroom in Sayles on Monday for GISP 0010: 鈥淎ddressing Stigma and Creating Conversations Around Mental Health,鈥� facilitator Michael OuYang 鈥�26 prepared the day鈥檚 opening exercise: class karaoke to 鈥淢y Girl鈥� by The Temptations. Within seconds, the room was filled with laughter, shouts and smiles 鈥� the best way, OuYang said, to break the ice before delving into students鈥� personal experiences with mental health.
OuYang鈥檚 course is one of 11 group independent study projects offered this semester. Overseen by the Curricular Resource Center, the projects involve collaboration between at least one student and a faculty advisor to 鈥渄evelop a credit-bearing course that is not a regular Brown offering,鈥� according to the .
Unlike independent and global independent study projects, GISPs allow other students to register for the course on Courses@Brown at the discretion of the student facilitator.
This semester features the largest number of GISPs offered since before the pandemic, according to . Including OuYang鈥檚, four GISPs offered this semester have more than 20 students enrolled.
By facilitating and registering for a GISP, students 鈥渓earn a lot about what makes a course for credit a course 鈥� clear learning goals, a method for discussion and analysis and the joy of collaborating with their advisor and other students,鈥� wrote Peggy Chang, associate dean of the College for curricular engagement and director of the CRC, in an email to The Herald.
Daniel Newgarden 鈥�25 and Kristoffer Balintona 鈥�24, independent study co-coordinators, said that the process of creating a GISP starts with an idea. 鈥淲e want to help turn a Brown student鈥檚 passion into a course,鈥� Newgarden said. The CRC 鈥渋s here to help them do that, however possible, by giving them advice and guiding them through the process.鈥�
Students typically begin discussing their course idea with coordinators like Newgarden and Balintona at the CRC in the semester before they hope to offer it. Coordinators 鈥渢alk people through their concept鈥� and inform them of other CRC programming and resources available, Newgarden told The Herald.
As the founder of No Empty Seats, a nonprofit organization aiming to spread mental health awareness, OuYang noticed last fall that there were no active course offerings discussing mental health outreach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to teach people what goes into mental health outreach and how we can make this campus a better place,鈥� OuYang said.
After finding a faculty sponsor, student facilitators like OuYang create a lengthy proposal and syllabus 鈥� OuYang鈥檚 reached 30 pages with over 100 sources 鈥� outlining the course curriculum. 鈥淵ou have to answer questions about why you think (your course) fills a gap in the curriculum,鈥� OuYang said.
After rounds of advising meetings with coordinators, the students will then submit their proposal to the CRC for a preliminary review ahead of the November deadline. 鈥淲e think about whether the syllabus is well-structured, and if the goals of the class are well-thought-out,鈥� Newgarden said.
The proposal is then sent to the 鈥� an elected body of administrators, faculty and students responsible for the undergraduate curriculum 鈥� for final approval.
Each GISP offered is different, as the program is 鈥渆xtremely flexible by design,鈥� Newgarden said. 鈥淭he program doesn鈥檛 have many restrictions on what can or can鈥檛 be the structure of the course.鈥� But regardless of the way each GISP is structured, all grading is done by the course鈥檚 faculty advisor.
Some GISPs are entirely collaborative, in which the student facilitator and other registered students take turns assigning readings and facilitating course discussions, according to Newgarden and Balintona. 鈥淭he student (coordinator) isn鈥檛 necessarily the professor teaching the course,鈥� Balintona said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e creating the course they want to take in the future.鈥�
Other groups are led primarily by the students who proposed the course, like OuYang鈥檚. In addition to creating the course syllabus and assigning weekly readings, OuYang leads class discussions and activities and coordinates student presentations. 鈥淚 share my experiences because it鈥檚 scary for people to talk about mental illness,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know people follow by example.鈥�
Erin Williams 鈥�26, who is currently registered for OuYang鈥檚 course, believes that OuYang鈥檚 facilitation and experience with mental health outreach allows the course content 鈥渢o resonate on a deeper level, because you hear stories from people in the class that are close in age and have similar experiences,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou come to the realization that other people are going through the same things that we are.鈥�
OuYang noted that creating and leading a course on your own is no easy feat. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much harder than I thought 鈥� some students are just looking at you, some are checking their phones, some are on their computers and some are zoned out,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had to learn that I can鈥檛 take anything personally.鈥�
But facilitating a GISP comes with some benefits, too. 鈥淪ome people have said this is their favorite class so far at Brown, which I think is one of the most rewarding things,鈥� OuYang said. 鈥淚 truly think it鈥檚 making a difference.鈥�
Each GISP can only be offered once, according to Newgarden and Balintona. But if a GISP is widely successful, it can occasionally become a University-offered course. MUSC 0021J: 鈥淪tephen Sondheim and the American Musical鈥� and APMA 1910: 鈥淩ace and Gender in the Scientific Community鈥� are two courses offered this academic year that originated from GISPs.
The CRC hopes that the recent popularity of GISPs and other independent study programs will continue to rise, Newgarden said.
Balintona emphasized that creating a GISP 鈥渋s not just feasible 鈥� it鈥檚 realistic.鈥�
Julianna Chang is a University News Editor who oversees the academics and advising and student government beats. A sophomore from the Bay Area, Julianna is studying Biology and Political Science on the pre-medical track. When she's not in class or in the office, she can be found eating some type of noodle soup and devouring bad books.
