Last semester, I got a taste of my pre-med roommate’s academic life: Every week, I spent a good chunk of my time working on assignments for IAPA 1401: “Economic Development in Latin America.” Typically, I had to answer six to ten questions about the reading — practically, a problem set. The questions were short and targeted, and they tested my ability to apply the concepts that we were going over in class, either by explaining the significance of historical events or the mechanisms of specific policies. Although they often required written responses, they didn’t demand external research or the big-picture analysis of an essay — they served as a concrete way to practice applying the course material.
When I first read the syllabus and saw this unfamiliar type of homework, I was suspicious. In my previous social science classes, our weekly assignments were made up only of readings and class participation. I had thought problem sets were only for STEM courses, with the notable exception of economics.
But despite my initial reservations, I quickly discovered that this problem-set format, most commonly found in STEM and economics classrooms — can be effective even in non-STEM classes without strictly quantitative content. Of course, every instructor should choose the weekly structure that best fits their teaching goals, but many courses outside of the typical problem-set disciplines could benefit from weekly assessments of concrete comprehension. Professors in the humanities and social sciences should seriously consider incorporating assignments that resemble the problem sets of STEM courses.
Many humanities and social science courses rely on students engaging deeply enough with assigned readings before class to allow for more extensive analysis during lecture or discussion. For this format to work, though, students must have actually spent time rigorously thinking through the course content. Even for students who are truly motivated to get the most out of their classes, it is hard to prioritize readings over other work that has a clear penalty if not turned in on time. A regular, graded assignment related to the class’s reading would offer enough external motivation to encourage students to show up to class well-prepared.
Another benefit of problem-set-like assignments is the guidance they provide to students when it comes to parsing through hefty readings. Problem sets don’t just test a student’s grasp of concepts — they also clarify the most fundamental elements of a topic or unit. While professors could provide guiding questions, these still would not provide students the ability to practice and check their understanding. Non-STEM reading can include dense and lengthy theory, research and literature — students can misallocate their time analyzing themes that are less relevant to the course’s scope. Of course we already can, and should, dedicate ample time to readings, but “problem sets” that force students to assess their own knowledge help guide learning to meet course objectives.
This structure also helps students better prepare for larger assessments. Having a library of completed problem sets to refer to can be a massively helpful tool to organize the course’s contents when preparing for exams, writing essays or developing projects. It becomes increasingly impractical to revisit reading, lecture slide deck and set of notes as a course progresses. Problem sets can serve as an approachable starting point to organize the key concepts of a class. Weekly assignments also prevent students from falling behind, ensuring that themes can build in complexity and difficulty without becoming overwhelming.
Of course, this format might not work for every class. Problem sets would not make as much sense for courses that don’t follow a concrete outline, such as advanced capstones and intensive creative workshops. But a problem set can still be adapted to a range of subjects. For example, a political science assignment could ask about the implications of specific policy measures and students’ opinions on their efficacy. For an English class, graded discussion posts that ask specific but open-ended interpretations of scenes or language structures could fit this problem set bill. Regardless of the format they take, problem sets can be valuable for classes beyond STEM and economics.
Brown has not been scared to take innovative approaches to education for much of its history, and this spirit should extend to department-level decisions as courses are designed and revised. Our championed value of interdisciplinary studies should extend beyond the classes students are encouraged to take — it should also mean applying different modes of learning across disciplines. Even though “I have to lock in on my gender studies problem set” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, these weekly assessments offer structure that could benefit Brunonians’ learning.
CJ Lair ’28 can be reached at craig_lair@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
CJ Lair is an opinions editor at The Brown Daily Herald. He is from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and plans to study Political Science at Brown. This is his second year writing for a publication, and is especially interested in political developments and their impacts on the Brown community.
