EDITORIAL: Meaningful requirements

A restructuring ofA restructuring ofCollege requirementsA restructuring ofCollege requirementsshould precede theA restructuring ofCollege requirementsshould precede theaddition of aA restructuring ofCollege requirementsshould precede theaddition of aquantitative analysisA restructuring ofCollege requirementsshould precede theaddition of aquantitative analysisrequirement. This effort to force students to demonstrate mastery of skills, rather than obtuse concepts, is well-intentioned, but ill-directed. Rather than adding a requirement each time it becomes evident that the existing ones are not accomplishing their goals, the College should overhaul existing requirements with an eye toward helping students acquire marketable, useful core competencies. Employers look for these core competencies -- the ability to research a topic and synthesize information about it from various sources, for example, or the ability to navigate the Internet and the World Wide Web -- in interviews. They hire liberal arts graduates who demonstrate that despite a lack of background in finance or economics, history and English majors are comfortable searching electronic databases and browsing libraries. These students know where to turn to get information, and they are capable of quickly learning whatever information is crucial to their new industries or new jobs. The College sectors that now exist -- Society, History and Tradition, Arts and Letters, The Living World, The Physical World and Formal Reasoning and Analysis -- aim to encourage students to explore unfamiliar disciplines. But the courses that fulfill these sectors should also include research components like term papers or independent study and computer skills components such as on-line texts that force students to get accustomed to the intricacies of cyberspace. A few years ago, faculty members discussed mandating Speaking Across the University, a program similar to WATU but focused on oral communication skills, which are integral to success in interviews. Last week, we proposed the incorporation of a service-learning component into existing requirements. It's clear that College faculty and administrators need to revisit the requirements that confront liberal arts majors upon arrival at Penn, before a degree becomes nothing more than a major and 20 credits of required knowledge.