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The open curriculum and its discontents
On the curricular front today, Brown University has announced a new initiative aimed at encouraging "more coherence in the experience of students"--a coherence that has apparently been lacking since the adoption of the "new curriculum" in 1969. While these new policies do not significantly change the degree requirements--which consist of a student's major, demonstrated "competence" in writing, and not much else--the university does seem to be acknowledging some of the system's shortcomings. Among other steps, Brown is undertaking reviews of every major in order to strengthen introductory courses and demonstrate how the knowledge gained in each discipline contributes to a general education, rather than specialized major requirements. The university is also encouraging students to interact more closely with faculty advisors and to develop individual portfolios which track progress towards educational goals. Read the whole article here.
While this initiative is a step in the right direction, it still doesn't guarantee the breadth and depth of education that a solid core curriculum normally provides. Open-curriculum schools like Brown and those with vague "distribution requirements" often see their students either concentrating all of their coursework in a few departments or undertaking haphazard, unfocused educational programs. Very few students starting off at a university have a true understanding of what constitutes a genuine liberal arts education--and this makes a core curriculum essential to ensuring that they receive such an experience.
For further reading, see ACTA's publications Becoming an Educated Person and The Hollow Core.
Posted by Sandra E. Czelusniak on September 15, 2008 at September 15, 2008 03:29 PM
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