College may change Gen Req

The Park School '97 Pikesville, Md. The College of Arts and Sciences is in the process of possibly revamping its core General Requirement, which could eventually be reduced from 10 to four classes. Two hundred members of the Class of 2004 will be randomly selected and asked to fulfill a different set of requirements than the rest of their classmates by participating in an experimental version of that new core curriculum. After a five-year test, the College will decide whether to make the curriculum standard for all of the school's students. The current General Requirement requires students to take a total of 10 courses in seven different sectors -- ranging from the liberal arts to the physical sciences -- but does not force students in the College to take any one particular course. Under the new system, however, students would take a total of four broad-based, interdisciplinary and team-taught courses. These courses, for which syllabi have not yet been developed, would introduce students to the "complexities of modern life" and draw on the "approaches and accomplishments of modern disciplines," according to the proposal. The Committee on Undergraduate Education -- a group comprised of 14 faculty members and four students -- submitted a proposal to the faculty on April 13, recommending that selected members of the Class of 2004 be exempted from fulfilling the existing General Requirement and participate instead in the pilot curriculum. The proposal says that, at least initially, there will be just one course offered in each of the four categories, but numerous recitation sections -- which might have different "reading materials, discussion topics and assignments" -- will provide for variation within each course's curriculum. In addition, more courses in each category might be offered if the pilot curriculum's popularity increases. CUE officially presented its proposal at a faculty meeting on April 20, with 33 of the 44 voting faculty members agreeing to implement the proposal in some form. An amendment was later passed, however, suggesting that CUE re-examine the course content and titles of each of the four courses that it plans to offer and make another presentation in December. Although the vote in April does not ensure that the pilot curriculum will be implemented exactly as it now stands, it does represent a major step toward testing the proposed requirements. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman said he was very pleased with the results of the meeting, noting that the vote was anything but a foregone conclusion. The proposal provides four suggested course categories -- each of which are subject to change -- that would be required of the students selected to fulfill the pilot curriculum. If the alternative structure is deemed successful, then it could eventually replace the existing General Requirement. One such category is tentatively titled "Freedom, Equality and Community" and involves disciplines including philosophy, economics, political science and cultural anthropology, according to the proposal. It would explore conflicts over religious tolerance and the emergence of democratic ideals, as well as struggles over slavery and a number of ideologies. Another category, labeled "Science, Culture and Society" would combine science and mathematics and "examine the emergence of the modern conceptions physical science, biological science and social science," including evolutionary and genetic theories. A third offering, "Earth, Space and Life" would explore the "major developments of contemporary science," including plate tectonics and cosmology. Finally, students participating in the pilot curriculum would be required to take a course in the category of "Imagination, Representation and Reality," combining "literature, fine art, music and other forms of human expression." Beeman emphasized that the proposed curriculum changes reflect administrators' "spirit of optimism" and "commitment to educational renewal" and are not intended as a sign of dissatisfaction with the current system. "We don't feel like there's anything here that's broken," Beeman stressed. A decision whether to extend the pilot program to all College students will be made by the faculty no later than the spring semester of 2004, the proposal states. "We like the idea of, as much as possible, some sort of shared experience during the early years," CUE Chairperson and Mathematics Professor Frank Warner said.