Memorandum: on curricular issues (#36)
We have discussed possible curricular changes, especially in
relation to the general education requirement (GER) and hopes that the
Curricular Review Committee will address the following four issues:
- Writing Requirement. We believe that a course that focuses
on instruction in expository and argumentative writing should continue
to be part of Furman’s GER. We believe that the English 11 as
presently constituted, with its focus on writing and a wide variety of
topics, is a good model for such a course, especially given the quality
of students that Furman is currently enrolling. There is disagreement
in the department about the extent to which the department should have
control of the writing requirement, but there is no disagreement about
the need to have one.
- Class Size in Writing Courses. At the retreat, we were
intrigued by the account of the tutorial system used at Williams
College. We believe that writing is most effectively taught when there
is time for students to get a great deal of individual attention from
their teachers and when students have opportunities to produce and
teachers to critique a lot of writing in draft stages. Our experience
in writing classes of 18 and 15 lead us to believe that 12 would be an
optimal number of students for a writing class.
- Winter Term. No one in the department likes the Winter
Term. If a revised calendar retains such a term (or a shorter one), we
strongly believe that required writing courses especially should not be
scheduled then. It simply does not allow enough time for students and
faculty to work substantively and usefully with drafts. We would go
further and say that Winter Term is not well suited for most of our
literature courses either. Especially it does not allow time for the
careful reading and consideration of long and complex texts.
- Interpretation of Literature Requirement. We believe that
a course in the interpretation of literature should continue to be part
of the GER. Currently, this requirement is met largely but not
exclusively in the English Department, and we assume that this would
continue to be the case in a revised curriculum. Some members of the
department are more willing than others to extend the range of what
might be considered “literature,” but we are in agreement
about the requirement.
Posted by love at November 1, 2004 11:12 AM
Discuss this proposal in the forum, or leave a comment below!