Although an Aerosmith concert selling out in seven minutes may sound more probable than students competing for tickets to The Barber of Seville, it also serves as a sharp reminder not to underestimate the fun-loving reputation of college students, or their cultured tastes. Case in point: When tickets to the Feb. 12 Los Angeles performance of Seville went on sale through The Family of Benjamin Z. Gould Center for Humanistic Studies at CMC, more than seven dozen students rushed at the chance to snatch them up. "Requests were still coming in at a rate of about 10 per hour when I finally had to post a message stating that we were sold out," said Gould Center assistant director Richard Drake '76.

Center officials spread the gospel that regardless of a student's major or future plans, humanities are an invaluable part of shaping both personal identity and social awareness. "If students want to become successful in business, the professions, and public policy, then they must be conversant in art, literature, history, philosophy, music, and film," contends Jonathan Petropoulos, Center director and John V. Croul Professor of European History.

Studying the humanities provides vital equipment for a complex world, he says. "The humanities are important for critical thinking. Students who grapple with the ambiguities that these disciplines present learn about the subtleties of argument and interpretation. They learn how to articulate their ideas." And besides, "Leaders in business, the professions, and public policy circulate in social realms that are very sophisticated," he says. "They are patrons of the arts and participants in the rich cultural lives of their communities. Humanities really provide a passport for life."

The Gould Center contributes an active program of scholarly and cultural activities to the campus and to the community at large. A centerpiece of its programming is its annual undergraduate seminar. Founding director and Professor Emeritus Ricardo Quinones says the Gould Center was "the first institute at CMC to enter into the curriculum." Many current CMC courses began as Gould Center seminars.

These thematic seminars address topical issues that include different disciplines and invite diverse approaches. An Athenaeum lecture series accompanies each seminar, bringing an impressive roster of visiting scholars and experts to campus: MacArthur fellows, novelists, historians, economists, poets, journalists, musicians, diplomats, critics, public servants, and university presidents among them.

A Gould Center-sponsored excursion brought students to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Photo Credit: Guy Newcomer '03