In the September 2006 edition of Comment, Calvin Seervel-d advises students to "major in the best profs, who make you think self-critically and who give solid course content in a field-area that you have gifts for or can be busy with, without noticing the passage of time."
To help our student readers follow Seerveld's advice, Comment asked contributors to respond to the following questions:
One way to begin to identify the best professors at your college is by looking at the book lists and reading lists for the various classes. Does the professor use interesting and important primary texts, both classical and contemporary? Ask other students about which professors discuss topics or ideas that are out of the ordinary. Take the time to drop in on professors in their offices and engage in short conversations on matters important to you, or ask the professor about his or her current research interests. Google professor's names and read articles by or about them.
Spend time outside of the classroom with the professor. Devise a reading list and invite the professor to coffee to discuss the texts.
—Dr. James M. Bonzo is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan and co-author of Wendell Berry and the Cultivation of Life (Brazos, 2008).
Most universities allow students to access course evaluations online. Check them out to discover the great teachers at your university. And always ask questions of friends and recent graduates; they know the best teachers to seek. Remember that a tough course with an engaged professor is far better than an easy class with a lackluster teacher. Be warned, though: a professor's passion can be contagious. You might end up majoring in a subject you never intended—all because you caught your professor's excitement for the subject.
Once you find a great professor, make every effort to work with him or her, even if it means volunteering as a research assistant. Professors can only invest in their students so much in the classroom. As a result, professors always mentor a small group of students outside their classes—as research assistants or leaders of campus groups they sponsor, or in some other way. Make it your aim to develop a strong relationship with at least one faculty member outside the classroom. This will become the professor with whom you will exchange Christmas cards for years to come, and whose advice you'll seek when selecting a graduate school or a new career path. And on the flip side, yours will be one of the few names this professor mentions when a colleague asks him, "Why do you love being a professor?" Trust me: professors remember special students as much as students remember their favourite professors.
—Dr. D. Michael Lindsay is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and author of Faith in the Halls of Power (Oxford U.P., 2007).
Any teacher can lecture in front of a class for three hours each week, grade homework assignments and proctor exams, all the while telling his students what to think. Yet it is the mentors who encourage us how to think—how to understand and engage— that are the best professors. When a professor takes the time to look up from his expertise and dares to encourage, invest in and even admonish his students, he or she contributes not only to our academic career but to our lives. That is a course I don't want to miss.
—Adrian deLange is a junior Youth Ministry major and English Writing minor student at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Ask more senior students which professors have had a life-changing effect on them, and why. Ask which classes these students would never, ever, willingly miss, and why. Ask which professors make them leave class not necessarily with clear answers, but with better questions. Ask which have helped them to believe in their own ability to read and think and discover. Ask which have made them excited to read and think and discover, even in a discipline where they didn't initially feel they had an interest. Ask which classes always seem to go by in a flash.
Read the materials your professor suggests. Then read them again. Make notes. Always come to class with questions. After class, whenever there are things you want to think about more, make an appointment to talk further with the professor. Ask your questions. And then ask the professor what questions he or she is most interested in related to those materials. Find out why he or she has arranged the course the way it's arranged, and included the material that's included. Find out what's going on underneath the immediate materials, historically, philosophically, theologically; ask for ideas for background reading. But never allow the professor, however wonderful, to become an idol for you; look for the feet of clay. Pray to learn. Pray to discern. Pray for your professor, that he or she will be listening to God, and will be kept humble. Remember that we are all made of dust, even though we are only a little lower than the angels, which is more apparent in some people than others.
—Dr. Deborah Bowen is Associate Professor of English at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario and editor of The Strategic Smorgasbord of Postmodernity (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007).
The best professors are not always the most entertaining lecturers, or even the ones who give you the best grades. The best professors are those who teach in fields they would study even if they weren't paid to teach, who are driven to explore every facet of their field of interest. The best way to take advantage of this opportunity is simply to go along with them. Even if it's not the subject you want to spend your life focused on, their curiousity and passion can stay with you.
—Dr. Russ Reeves is Academic Dean and Associate Professor of History and Humanities at Providence Christian College in Ontario, California.
Talk to as many seniors as you can who are majoring in the departments that you are interested in. Ask them who their favourite professors were, and why? Professors can be good for a variety of reasons—their teaching ability, their expertise in their field, their engagement with students, to name just a few. You can also identify the best professors through public lectures that they give. Often higher profile professors are asked to give such talks, and attending these lectures will give you a good sense of their teaching style as well as content.
Ask your professor if he or she needs any research help or summer work. If not, definitely ask the professor out for a meal. Students can often be intimated by their professors, but remember, professors are people too; they eat meals and enjoy getting to know students. If you're a bit intimidated by the prospect of a one-on-one meal, ask a few friends to come along who might also be interested. Before you meet with the professor, do a web search to discover the latest research they've been working on. Professors will appreciate your interest in their work and it will also keep your conversation lively.
—Rev. David Kim directs Manna Christian Fellowship, an inter-denominational Christian Fellowship at Princeton University, New Jersey.
The best professors will never glance at the clock when teaching. They get lost in the beauties and challenges of the matter at hand, making you want to be there with them.
—Richard Lopez graduated from Princeton University in June 2009 with an A.B. in Psychology.
Great professors know that our name is Israel. University is a struggle with God. They expect students to contribute to their research, and point us to fecund territory. Humour and rhythm characterize their pedagogy. When you find a great professor, find out what she loves and make guesses at how these loves shape what you can see of her. Figure out what he is researching and begin to navigate the big problems of that field. Ask questions and listen for rumours of wisdom in the answers (Job 28). A short conversation with your great professor may contain enough of these hints to lead your community to a semester or a lifetime of good work.
—Ben Bouwman is a thirdyear philosophy student at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario.
As an undergraduate, I met individually with department chairs and asked them point blank: "Who are the best professors in the department?" They were remarkably candid with me. Majoring in the best professors is exactly what I did. In the end, my transcript was eclectic, but my classroom experience was excellent.
—Karl E. Johnson directs Chesterton House, a Christian Studies Center affiliated with Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
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