The Writing's on the Wall: Exploring Princeton Through Data-Driven Fieldwork (Year-Long Course)

Why do we so rarely talk about the rejected Picasso behind Spelman or how the Endowment weathers storms in the market? Research in psychology, architecture, and environmental science indicates that understanding one's surroundings leads to a happier life, yet we are so busy doing Princeton work that we miss the opportunity to analyze how campus influences our experiences or how the institutional makeup structures our learning. This seminar invites students to explore Princeton as a material archive and trains them in field-based methods for data-driven research in support of an independent project of their own design.