Jay Holstein thread

[Tenacious E]

I participated in a Jay Holstein thread in the Lounge thinking it was here on HROT. I assume it will be moved here eventually, but in the event it does not he was probably the best professor I had in undergrad.
brings back memories...


Here is a great interview. The whole thing is worth a watch. There is some good perspective starting at 18:44, and with poignant comments at 20:50 or so with regard to simple thinking, labels, and convenient stereotypes, and how nazis liked them. Hmmm, labels and name calling sounds familiar from a certain leader....

 

[ChrisVarick]

I had him for two classes in 97 and 98.

 

[JRHawk2003]

He has been around a while. I had him for classes in the 80's. An Old Testament class at Philips Hall.

 

[Tenacious E]

I had him for two classes in 97 and 98.

I don't remember the year for me. Probably 95. We old.

 

[lucas80]

No gay here, but his locker is next to mine at the gym. I can only wish I'm as put together as him when I'm 80+ years old.

 

[Nipigu]

Jay 🐄

 

[Nipigu]

No gay here, but his locker is next to mine at the gym. I can only wish I'm as put together as him when I'm 80+ years old.

That’s gay.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

I didn't have him for any classes but he spoke once at the church I attended. The part I remember was him telling about visiting Israel. His mother hoped he would find a nice Jewish girl there but instead he broght home a Lebanese Christian woman.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

I could never seem to get into his classes, they were so popular that unless you had an early registration time, you had basically zero chance of getting into them. I still regret not having taken at least one of his courses. He's an academic treasure at the U of I.

 

[Titanhawk2]

Had a "practice" lecture before classes started in '82

 

[ferentzin04]

I’m in that first video. Lower level, right side. I was probably 7 or 8 rows back, I can’t remember exactly. I remember them filming that semester for the doc though, so I’m basically famous. CSB.

All told I enjoyed his classes. I took 3 of them (Judeo-Christian Tradition, Quest I, and Bible and the Holocaust). My wife (no pic) ended up minoring in religion because she took so many of his classes. After his classes she only needed 1 or 2 others to get the minor so she said screw it, might as well.

 

[GOHOX69]

I don't remember the year for me. Probably 95. We old.

I'm older. Sadly.

 

[MeetTheFerentz]

Very glad I was able to take Quest during one summer session. I remember reading a magazine (those things they had prior to the internet) article that listed one class that you absolutely must take if you attend xxxxxx University, doing so for maybe 250 or so colleges across the country. Quest was the one listed for Iowa.

 

[Car-go]

Quest for human destiny. Took it around 2009-2010. We watched the movies Shane and Space Odyssey in the basement of the IMU from what I remember.

 

[claykenny]

I took Quest for Human Destiny and it was a great course. Love Holstein. The best part was the 5-6 snowflakes who walked out of the first lecture because they couldn’t bear confronting their religious beliefs.

John Menninger was still the best professor I had at Iowa. Similar to Holstein, everything was geared at critical thinking and finding a different path to an “answer”.

 

[Brok85]

bump

 

[mthawkeyes]

I don't remember the year for me. Probably 95. We old.

Judeo-Christian Tradition - Fall 95
Quest for Human Destiny - Spring 96

I actually came across and watched the video clips in the OP a couple weeks ago. Pretty much how I remember him. I loved that he never claimed to have the franchise on the truth, but if you were going to argue with him, you had better "come armed to the teeth". Great lecturer, and I learned about thinking critically in those courses.

 

[BubsFinn]

I tried to get into his classes. Never made it. I did sit in on a couple and he was fascinating to listen to.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

I took Quest for Human Destiny and it was a great course. Love Holstein. The best part was the 5-6 snowflakes who walked out of the first lecture because they couldn’t bear confronting their religious beliefs.

John Menninger was still the best professor I had at Iowa. Similar to Holstein, everything was geared at critical thinking and finding a different path to an “answer”.

The bio prof? I had him for several classes. Great guy, brilliant actually.

 

[claykenny]

The bio prof? I had him for several classes. Great guy, brilliant actually.

Yes. Took Cell Physiology with him. Was straight letter grade and no curve. Open book/notes exams (no internet) because he didn’t care if you could memorize things (and honestly even the internet wasn’t bailing you out on those exams). Exams were also essay and most people didn’t finish.

I remember one question where I was nowhere close to the “correct” answer, but he gave me full credit because he appreciated my thought process and conclusion. Wrote a note saying that is how science is challenged and moves forward. I was the only person who got an A in the class that year. Definitely the academic achievement I was most proud of as pre medical students typically avoided the class as they didn’t want to risk hurting their GPA with a B.

I e-mailed him years later in residency and thanked him for helping me become a better student and propelling me to where I am today. He remembered me after a decade, which meant a lot. Amazing teacher and a great guy.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

Yes. Took Cell Physiology with him. Was straight letter grade and no curve. Open book/notes exams (no internet) because he didn’t care if you could memorize things (and honestly even the internet wasn’t bailing you out on those exams). Exams were also essay and most people didn’t finish.

I remember one question where I was nowhere close to the “correct” answer, but he gave me full credit because he appreciated my thought process and conclusion. Wrote a note saying that is how science is challenged and moves forward. I was the only person who got an A in the class that year. Definitely the academic achievement I was most proud of as pre medical students typically avoided the class as they didn’t want to risk hurting their GPA with a B.

I e-mailed him years later in residency and thanked him for helping me become a better student and propelling me to where I am today. He remembered me after a decade, which meant a lot. Amazing teacher and a great guy.

Sounds familiar. I had three profs that stood out for me during my times at Iowa, Nicholson/Physics (tragically murdered), Baron/Psychology, and Carroll/Accounting but alas, no Holstein.

 

[GOHOX69]

As a science nerd, I assiduously avoided classes like Holstein's, which of course had hot chicks. I preferred classes like Dr. Kenny except across the river, in Biochemistry, instructors didn't give good grades for creativity. Ironically, Holstein's daughter is a doctor, last I knew in the ER at UI Healthcare.

 

[mthawkeyes]

One of the best professors I had was Kenneth Gayley in a class called Characteristics and Origins of the Solar System. I took the course as a means to earn a physics endorsement for my teaching license, not wanting to teach physics but to be more employable coming out of college. Mostly non-science majors taking it for a GER, but I was impressed with how he took what seemed to be complex concepts of astronomy and connected them to physical laws that govern our everyday experience and made them accessible.