Kimberlyn Leary, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, who teaches Sociology 169: “Negotiation and Conflict Transformation for Policy and Practice,” said that although she taught her first class in a large room, almost every seat was occupied and students had to find space along the walls in the back of the room.

“I think everybody knows because it was posted that there’s a cap on the enrollment that 50 students will be able to take the class,” Leary said, adding that she plans to use a non-preferential course lottery to determine which students will be able to take her class.

“Unfortunately I’m going to have to keep it at 50 because we do so much interactive work, and it’s already tight in the room we have.”

Leary, who said her course was popular during shopping week last spring as well, added that she is excited and pleased about the number of students who expressed interest in her course.

“It’s pretty fun for professors too at the beginning of the semester,” Leary said.

—Staff writer Meg P. Bernhard can be reached at mbernhard@college.harvard.edu.