Freedom In Cathy Davidson's 'Project Classroom Makeover'

For years people have struggled with the notion of ‘personal freedom,” and in truth this has been because of people failing to understand where to search for the concept of ‘freedom.’ Maggie Nelson, in “Great to Watch,” states that she prefers art that is not a member of a dichotomy where it either “terrorizes” or “chaperones” viewers. Instead, she prefers art that is neither “terrorizing” nor “chaperoning” viewers because this art presents an opportunity for the viewer to form his or her own opinions on the subject matter at hand, and instead of shocking the viewer or trying to force the viewer into a false realization, the viewer is actually learning about the subject. In Cathy Davidson’s “Project Classroom Makeover,” this freedom of …show more content…
In the complex workings of the inner mind, it is the notion that one is always learning, and this allows him or her to perceive the world around them in ways that are unique to him and her, and no one else. To this extent, the ability to be perpetually learning and be always ready to adapt to new situations is freedom of the imagination. In Cathy Davidson’s “Project Classroom Makeover,” students are able to utilize this freedom of the imagination in order to overcome the rigid standards present in the current iteration of standardized education. In an experiment hosted at Duke University, undergraduate students were supplied with iPods and allowed to use them with no boundaries. This experiment served not only to show the effectiveness of the iPod, and other electronic devices, as learning supplements in an education environment, but also inadvertently showed off the ingenuity of students when not confined to the rigidity of standardized education. Davidson writes, “The real treasure trove was to be found in the students’ innovations. Working together, and often alongside their profs, they came up with …show more content…
Interestingly enough, however, the processes of achieving this freedom may differ greatly from person to person depending on the situation they are currently in. In Cathy Davidson’s piece, she illustrates the example of the Duke University iPod experiment, where students who were supplied with iPods were given a (reasonably) unrestricted scope to utilize their iPods in aiding their education. As a result, students collaborated developed so many ingenious ways to use the iPod – much more than what was expected. At the same time, the interconnected nature of the internet also allowed students to expand the scope of their learning and knowledge through a new medium of transferring information. In Nafisi’s piece, her isolated classroom helped foster a more introspective, yet worldly style of learning amongst her students through the use of literature – specifically the works of Nabokov. While the freedom of imagination was achieved through the addition of a new element in Cathy Davidson’s piece, it was also achieved through the removal of an old element in Azar Nafisi’s piece. Thus, the methodology of achieving intellectual freedom may differ in its execution, but the fundamentals remain