Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students have been able to cross-register at both institutions for over a century. This semester, the highest number of Brown students in at least the last five years have chosen to journey down the hill for a RISD class, according to RISD registrar Christine Peterson.
About 10% of RISD classes have at least one Brown student registered, Peterson wrote in an email to The Herald. Meanwhile, 384 RISD students are enrolled in 219 distinct courses at Brown, according to Lisa Mather, the University’s senior associate registrar for operations management.
The Herald analyzed data provided by Brown and RISD’s registrars to explore the most popular classes across institutions.
According to RISD’s cross-registration website, all RISD students — apart from first-year undergraduates — can cross-register at Brown during the fall and spring semesters.
Meanwhile, Brown’s cross-registration website reports that Brown students can cross-register at RISD during the fall, winter and spring terms. They can take a maximum of four course credits at RISD that count toward the graduation requirements at Brown. One credit at Brown is typically equivalent to three credits at RISD, with certain studio courses counting as two credits at Brown and six credits at RISD.
This semester at Brown, RELS 1195: “Colors in Chinese Religion” and TAPS 1280G: “Intro to Theatrical Design” are tied for the number one class with the most RISD students enrolled.
Yuqing Luo, a Chinese religions and visual culture postdoctoral research associate who teaches RELS 1195, wrote in email to The Herald that she noticed the high number of RISD students in her class early on and asked her colleagues if it was typical. She added that “the impression she received” from colleagues was that the high number was rare.
“Generally speaking, among the RISD students, there is definitely a more embodied or hands-on approach to understanding the history of religion,” she wrote to The Herald. “It is much appreciated in my class, and I encourage the students to talk to each other both in and out of the classroom.”
Renée Surprenant Fitzgerald, an associate teaching professor of set design and instructor for TAPS 1280G, found that shifting her class this semester to a time that didn’t conflict with a large RISD design studio attracted more RISD students than usual.
Surprenant Fitzgerald said she has a wide variety of students taking her class, including RISD master’s students, as well as both RISD and Brown undergraduates.
“I think one of the best strengths for both schools is for students to be able to cross-register and meet each other and learn from each other,” said Surprenant Fitzgerald. “In my class, I really try to make sure there’s a lot of presenting to each other and learning from each other’s creative process.”
JAPN 0100: “Basic Japanese” is tied for the third most popular Brown course for RISD students this semester. Assistant Teaching Professor of East Asian Studies Sachiko Hiramatsu, one of the instructors, has noticed that the course has been popular with RISD students for years.
She noted that RISD students might be attracted to Japanese because of the rich artistic culture of the country, highlighting that knowledge of the language could help them in their careers.
For RISD senior Brightly Shen, “Basic Japanese” is the third Brown class she has enrolled in. Though she thinks the cross-registration process is “tedious,” she said she finds the liberal arts classes at Brown more interesting than the ones at RISD.
Summer Chang, a RISD sophomore who is also taking “Basic Japanese,” said she appreciates the opportunity to take Brown classes — even though she found cross-registration anxiety-inducing because of how close to the start of the semester the process occurs.
Shen said that the global popularity of Japanese media most likely contributes to the number of RISD students who enroll in the language class, as well as the fact that RISD has Wintersession courses that take place in Japan.
CSCI 0111: “Computing Foundations: Data” also makes the list of the most popular Brown classes for RISD students. The class’s instructor, Assistant Teaching Professor of Computer Science Milda Zizyte, said that since the course does not assume any programming knowledge, it attracts students from all different fields.
She also noted that she often receives requests to take the class from students pursuing RISD’s computation, technology and culture concentration, which merges digital technologies with art and design practices.
Andrew Liao, a RISD senior studying graphic design and concentrating in CTC, joined the class to learn more about backend development. He noted that the cross-registration process is “long and complex,” and the biggest obstacle to taking classes at Brown is working around RISD’s course schedule.
For Ryan Doody — an assistant professor of philosophy and political economy — RISD cross-registration is “the coolest.” His class, PHIL 0555: “Choice, Commerce and Conflict: An Introduction to PPE,” is the fifth most popular class at Brown for RISD students.
“I do think that there’s a unique perspective that RISD students bring up that comes up every once in a while, just typically having slightly different backgrounds and different interests than the Brown students,” he said.
Meanwhile, down the hill, 84 Brown students are participating in RISD studio classes across the arts.
Renee Cornue, an MFA student in photography at RISD, teaches PHOTO 5350: “Intro to Digital Photography” — the fourth most popular class for Brown students at RISD this semester. She said that since the class is a non-major course, students from a variety of fields take it to learn the basics of photography.
“I have noticed an earnestness in the Brown students that I really appreciate,” she said. Cornue has also taken a class at Brown in the Middle East Studies department, which she said has benefited her thesis work.
Lobbin Liu, a critic in graphic design at RISD, teaches GRAPH 2117 Workshop: “UI/UX Design: From Mind to Screen,” which has attracted Brown students from a range of disciplines. Though class registration is prioritized for graphic design students at RISD, a variety of Brown students email her every semester looking for a spot in the class. Students take the workshop for four weeks, and three sessions are offered through the semester.
“It's always interesting to see students from different backgrounds and disciplines and their contributions to the discussion and to the critique,” she said. “I welcome one or two Brown students in each section, if there is a spot.”
Selena Zhu ’29, who studies psychology and visual arts, is currently cross-registered in an illustration class at RISD. She said she found it difficult to find a spot in a RISD class due to time conflicts and limited space.
“The class I’m currently registered for had only one slot left, and the other eight classes I emailed for were full,” she wrote in an email to The Herald. “Still, I would say it’s a great opportunity. I am finding this class very valuable and also enjoy making new friends at RISD with similar interests in painting and illustration.”
Associate Professor of Music Anthony Cheung teaches MUSC 0091: “Film Music: History, Theory and Practice” — one of the top classes for RISD students cross-registered at Brown. He emphasized the strength of the relationship between Brown and RISD that he has witnessed as the director of graduate studies for music and multimedia composition.
“A lot of our students actually go to RISD to take specialized courses there at the graduate level, because there is a kind of natural extension of our curriculum into theirs when we’re talking about sound and sound studies,” he said. “I’m just really glad to see that Brown and RISD have this very close, historical, symbiotic relationship with the arts.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Andrew Liao's name. The Herald regrets the error.
Izabella Piatkowski is a senior staff writer covering the Rhode Island School of Design.
