It’s a common cliche that college students college learn as much from their classmates as their professors — but at UNC, some students have taken this notion even further. Honors Carolina’s C-START courses are giving undergraduates the opportunity to design, develop and teach weekly seminar courses of their own.
C-START stands for “Carolina Students Taking Academic Responsibility through Teaching.” Students have the chance to enroll in any of the program’s diverse course offerings, with topics ranging from health care to ecology to art.
One of these courses is “Race, Gender, Class and the Environment,” taught by senior environmental science student Jack Walsh. His course focuses on the underlying social factors that lead to environmental issues, rather than approaching problems through a traditional policy lens.
“The C-START program creates a unique opportunity for breaking free from the University in terms of learning,” he said.
Walsh said the experience of these types of classes allows students to freely express ideas and become comfortable with their voice, rather than worrying about grades or what professors may think of their work.
Walsh encourages a collaborative and discussion-based environment, making the class more like a reading group than a traditional course.
“I’m not going to be lecturing and telling them how things are, or anything like that,” he said.
Walsh found the process of preparing the course educational and enlightening.
“It definitely deepens your understanding," Walsh said. "Rather than just reading something, you’re having to read something and then try to figure out how to explain it, or contextualize it or analyze it for another group of people."
