The Draw of the Focus Program

Dan Haaren began his freshman year at Duke University with excitement and trepidation.

Planning to major in biology, Haaren decided to spend his first semester in The Focus Program, Duke's interdisciplinary academic and residential community for first-year students. He liked the idea of small, thematically linked seminars and the possibility of exploring issues from a variety of scholarly perspectives. Living among other freshmen with similar intellectual goals and one-on-one interaction with distinguished faculty intrigued him, he said.

But when he was assigned to his third-choice cluster, Visions of Freedom, he was wary. How would politics relate to biology? He soon realized he had made the right decision.

"I went into the program very hesitantly," Haaren said. "I knew nothing about my topic. Yet within the first two weeks, I was completely absorbed."

Both students and faculty agree with Haaren's assessment of Focus, a curriculum developed 16 years ago. Students say they develop critical thinking skills, stretch their creativity and make friends. Faculty members say they enjoy the opportunity to explore social and intellectual issues with a small group of inquisitive students.

"Focus offers eager students a unique interdisciplinary approach to learning," said Ruth Grant, professor of political science. "It fosters confidence and close relationships among students and faculty."

The program, with clusters of four topic-related classes, aims to stimulate interest and camaraderie through rigorous examination of related concepts and problems. Professor Seymour Mauskopf, director of Focus from 1995 until 2003 and an early proponent of interdisciplinary study at Duke, believed that students, regardless of their intended majors, should be exposed to ideas from across the humanities, sciences and social sciences. Focus continues to follow his philosophy.

Small cluster size is crucial to Focus . Thirty students make up each cluster; each cluster is divided into two groups of 15 participants. This intimacy encourages individual academic responsibility, allows collaboration and nurtures intellectual curiosity, faculty members said.

"Small groups afford many possibilities," said Angela O'Rand, professor of sociology and director of The Focus Program. "Students discuss the merits of ideas and opposing viewpoints more easily. They learn how to support arguments, and how to work together to solve problems. Field trips are easier to execute with fewer students."

To add vitality to Focus, students live in dorms with other members of their clusters. Clusters become second families, a plus for young people who might be away from home for the first time. This proximity encourages a relaxed atmosphere for group study, scholarly discussion and midnight pizza parties. The housing program promotes a comfortable community of colleagues and friends.

Focus will offer 13 clusters for Fall 2007, everything from The Arts in Contemporary Society to Virtual Realities: Visualizations, Interactive Worlds and Games. One of the most enduring clusters — and the one that captured Dan Haaren's imagination — is Visions of Freedom.

This cluster aims to "develop a critical understanding of various competing conceptions of freedom and their historical origins." Students ask questions such as, "How do we balance individual freedom with a concern for the common good? How have the ideas of freedom changed the world? How should we consider the many opposing views of freedom?"

"Focus helps students see the big picture," said Grant, who teaches one of the four classes in the Visions of Freedom cluster. "They leave here with the ability to take their ideas into the world and use them."

As part of her "Ancient and Modern Liberty," seminar, Grant introduces the idea of liberty in Greek and Roman philosophical writings and compares ancient conceptions of freedom to modern ones.

"We read many classic texts, such as Plato, Rousseau and Hobbes, to examine the economic history of freedom," Grant said. "We, as a group, look at the balance between freedom and responsibility."

Other 2007 courses in Visions of Freedom include "Liberty and Literature," "Freedom and Responsibility," and "Hierarchy and Spontaneous Order: The Nature of Freedom in Political and Economic Organizations." Faculty instructors include political scientists Michael Moses, Michael Gillespie and Scott De Marchi.

The Visions of Freedom cluster is also part of the Gerst Program at Duke, a project supported by the Templeton Foundation, which theoretical foundations of freedom and responsibility and the role of freedom in political and economic institutions.

Students occasionally discover new academic passions through Focus.

That happened to Dan Haaren, and he's glad he gave Visions of Freedom a chance. "The professors were engaging," he said. "The classes were well-structured, and even the readings were enjoyable. The seminars rank in my top academic experiences at Duke, and because of that, I recently switched from a bio major to political science."

But Professor O'Rand understands how Focus can send students on new intellectual journeys.

"I love it," she said. "The program is very much grassroots and holistic. It encourages students to look beyond the normal. It encourages them to find new paths."