Changes yield streamlined History dept.

It's history in the making. Major changes implemented this semester in the History Department will give students more freedom in selecting their own course of study. At the same time, the core courses and mandatory track system for history majors have become things of the past. Undergraduate History Department Chairperson Marc Trachtenberg said these changes will offer students the chance to explore the areas that interest them, rather than mandating a course of study. "Courses of study should make intellectual sense rather than just fill a require-ment," he said. "The message to students is that we want you to get expertise, we want you to think and we want you to use your field of study as a vehicle." The changes came as a result of lengthy consultation between faculty, undergraduate and graduate students. Trachtenberg said the old system for majors caused confusion for students and took up a lot of time on the part of faculty advisors answering the same questions over and over. "[The new system] defines everything precisely," he said. "If you read it carefully, it answers everything and specifies which courses count and how they count." In addition to its impact on undergraduate education, Trachtenberg thinks it will lessen the bureaucracy that many have associated with the department and free up faculty to concentrate on answering students substantive – rather than procedural – questions. Under the new system, a three-tier hierarchy of courses specifies which courses count toward a history major and how they can be applied. In addition, students have an option of choosing an area of concentration. Those opting for one can choose between diplomatic, intellectual or urban history or history and culture. Students who want to complete historical research will also have the opportunity to do so and be recognized, Trachtenberg said. Trachtenberg said the new major system treats students as adults, capable of making decisions relating to their education. "By giving students freedom and responsibility, they will take their education seriously," he said. Graduate student and undergraduate history advisor Jean Haring said students will not have quite as much departmental direction under the new system. "They will have to find their own direction," she said. "It may be hard for some." She added that the new system is harder in some ways because fewer outside courses count toward the history major. One challenge to the new policy, Haring said, could occur if students only take lower level courses. If this occurs, the department might have to implement another required course or make changes to account for this, Haring said. Trachtenberg said another problem could arise if too many students are attracted to the department. "The history department is the victim of its own success." Trachtenberg said. In the past 10 years, the number of history majors has almost tripled, from 104 to 290, while the number of standing faculty has only risen by one, from 33 to 34. "We don't need more students," he said. "If this does succeed in attracting students, we're going to have problems." Trachtenberg said class size will increase and students might have trouble enrolling in their choice classes. Current history majors will not likely be affected by the changes. But, in cases where the old policy conflicts with the new one, students will not be penalized by the changes.

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