About 300 students attended an Institute of Politics open house yesterday to learn about this semester's study groups.

The groups cover topics like political campaigns, affirmative action and leadership styles.

"I think it's an excellent opportunity for students to expose themselves to important issues in the community without the restraints imposed by courses," Erica S. Simmons '99 said of the non-credit discussion groups.

During the one-hour session at the Kennedy School's Arco Forum, students and visitors met with study group leaders--who are mainly IOP fellows and community notables--and signed up for one or more of the 12 weekly groups.

The informal discussion groups, which meet Tuesdays or Wednesdays for an hour and a half, start next week.

Mary Anne Sharkey, an Institute fellow who is political editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, said the groups help students understand the "real world" in which she and the other group leaders work when they're not at Harvard.

"The real value of a program like this is to have someone like me, who is a practitioner, to give a real world view of what occurs inside newspapers and what it's like to cover politics," said Sharkey, who will be leading a group called "Beyond the Beltway: Flexing Media Muscle in a Presidential Campaign."

One first-year at the open house said the wide range of topics impressed her.

"I'm overwhelmed--there are so many things I'm interested in, and I can't possibly do them all," said Grace K. Katabaruki 94'. "But it's nice to have people like this at such a close proximity."

Six IOP fellows are leading half of the study groups. Community leaders selected by students will run the other six, said John E. Trinidad '97, chair of the study groups committee.

The IOP fellows, who were introduced after the open house in a panel titled "Personal Perspectives on Politics," told students about their interest in politics and public service.

In addition to leading study groups, the fellow will be able to take classes and become involved in College life, said Margo S. Flug '97, chair of the fellows committee.

The fellows will also have regular office hours when they can meet with students. "The open-door policy is really important," Flug said.

Many of the group leaders emphasize that the study groups at learning environments for them as well.

"I really enjoy meeting the students--it gives me a feeling of what's on their minds," Sharkey said.

Raymond P. Howell, who worked on the 1990 and 1994 campaign of Gov. William F. Weld '66, will be conducting a study group on "The Nuts and Bolts of Political Campaigns (or. 101 Uses for Duct Tape)," and said new ideas keep his field fresh.

"I'm hoping to learn a great deal," Howell said. "Young people with fresh ideas and new ways of looking at the world are really what keep politics interesting and ever-changing."

The groups are: "The Politics of Community Reinvestment," led by James Carras, founding executive director of the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders; "Words as Hard as Cannonballs: Speechmaking and Political Communication in 'The Information Age,'" led by Martha Eddison, a former speechwriter for Mario Cuomo; "Development, the United Nations and the 21st Century: The Need for a New Development Para-digm," led by former U.S. ambassador and U.N. representative Anne Forrester.

"Affirmative Action, Race and Contemporary Politics," led by James S. Hoyte, assistant to the President of Harvard University for diversity and affirmative action and former attorney; "The Emerging Republican Party in the South: A 'Gtass Roots' Perspective," led by James Lombard, former Republican leader of the Florida State House of Representative; "Barbarians at the Gate Independent ant Third Party Politics," led by R. Clayton Mulford, manager for H. Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign and general counsel for Perot's United We Stand America, Inc.

"Beyond the Beltway: Flexing Media Muscle in a Presidential Campaign," led by Mary Anne Sharkey, political editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer; "Economic, Social, and Political Forces Affecting Women's Lives. The Search for Solutions," led by Ellen Snee, who worked on the Harvard Project on Women's Psychology and Girls' Development and now teaches at Boston University; "Can a Nation Govern itself When Its Citizens Don't Trust Their Government?" led by Jolene Unsoeld, former Democratic member of the House of Representatives.

"Leadership Styles and Skills: What Works in the Public Service Arena?" led by Kathy Whitmire, former mayor of Houston; and "The Nuts and Bolts of Political Campaigns (or, 101 Uses for Duct Tape," led by Raymond P. Howell, manager for the Weld-Celucci 1994 campaign.

There is also a weekly current affairs dinner table for undergraduates only, led by Paula Childs, an editorial columnist for Tab newspapers