Study of Man, by Carla Schaareman, Class of 2006


Looking back on my third year, specifically at our "Study of Man" course, I realize that this was a very interesting and rewarding experience because of the charts we made of each chapter we studied.

For the first few lectures (which I read at least three times before I could actually comprehend some of the dense content), I had a hard time integrating the artistic element with the actual content. Reading it gave me a certain feeling, an understanding in images, but I could barely translate this into physical pictures. I tried too hard to make them beautiful, and I was unable to combine this beauty with the content in clear words and explanations. Moving through even denser parts of the lectures, the clarity of my words and understanding grew, and my beautiful colors disappeared. My drawings became dry and bare. Everything had turned around; my charts were just a lot of words.

When we came back to the final part of the lecture series after a break, it seemed that a more balanced understanding of the lectures had grown. In explaining my understanding of the lecture, I was able to find the middle ground between a beautiful picture and clear wording.

I had followed a threefold path to understanding "Study of Man." My classmates and I experienced these lectures firsthand through thinking, feeling and willing. To study this book by making charts helped each of us so much, and sharing each other's efforts gave us even more understanding of the content.

Being a part of that growth process in our studies, both artistically and intellectually, has been a very rewarding experience. Often now when I read a book or lecture, I feel the urge to make a chart, to help me come to that deeper understanding that only an artistic experience can give.