Harriet Swain sits in on a philosopher who ensures he is never a lone lecturer
Before joining the University of East Anglia, Rupert Read, director of philosophy of literature, used to be more daring. Once when his group of students were discussing gender, he asked a woman student to come to class dressed and acting as a man, while he arrived as a woman, with green dress, brown tights and feminine mannerisms.
The incident divided academics in the department - some accused him of bringing the university into disrepute - and provided many juicy topics for philosophical discussion. Another time when a couple of students complained they had been marked too harshly, he made it into an exercise linked to their study of constructing arguments. The class were told to make out a case for upgrading. They were assessed on how strongly they had argued the case.
It was striking how forcefully points were argued when final assessments were at stake, says Dr Read.
He has toned down his style since, partly through experience - an acquaintance was sacked after being a little too innovative - partly because of the way some of his UEA courses are run, which is innovation in itself. Three tutors, professor of politics Barbara Goodwin, economics lecturer Mozaffar Qizilbash and Dr Read, take the third-year course in philosophy of politics and economics together.
The course is split into three over the semester and while one tutor is responsible for each class, the others sit in, making contributions as any other student but adding their extra experience.
The idea is that they will be able to offer, for example, a political or economic spin, creating a more integrated course. "The demands of the research assessment exercise put the emphasis on one subject. PPE courses are much more integrated here," says Dr Read.
He takes the same kind of "total approach" in the way he conducts a class. He starts by giving a short lecture, supported by transparencies, going over topics covered in the previous session and sketching out issues.
Questions or contributions may develop into a full debate, in which the other two tutors may comment. When the rest of the class have no more to say, Dr Read continues speaking loosely from notes, exploring any new avenues raised in discussion.
At today's discussion, which focuses on notions of objectivity, he asks for reflections on the impact of having a journalist observing the class."Does the observer always affect what is observed?" he asks them.
He also strives to use examples from the students' experiences. In a discussion about whether a robot would be a human being if no one knew it was a robot, he asks them to think about the films Terminator and Bladerunner. He seems to capture students' imaginations most when he holds up a pound coin and asks them to think about whether it has value simply because everyone recognises it.
Towards the end, he asks two students to present prepared topics. Dr Read has already tried to work their views into the discussion. At one point, Dr Read asks a general question and there is a very, very long pause as everyone looks at their feet. "I'm never afraid of silences," he says.
Afterwards, students say they find the two-hour sessions a bit long and sometimes too wide-ranging. But having specific seminar questions helps clarify their thoughts. They like hearing the views of different tutors and appreciate the time to discuss and listen to others' opinions.