Committee on Science Recommends New Approach in Nat Sci Courses

In a report presented to the Faculty Yesterday afternoon the Committee on Science in General Education recommended a new approach to the teaching of science to non-scientists and asked that the University's scientific departments increase their permanent instructional staffs.

To supplement the current historically oriented science instruction in General Education, the committee, chaired by Jerome S. Bruner, professor of Psychology, recommended that new Natural Science courses be instituted which will explore in considerable details a special aspect of some branch of science. According to the committee, a sub-committee of the C.E.P. these courses should "(1) communicate a knowledge of the fundamental principles of a special science and (2) give the student an idea of the methods of science as they are known today."

It is hoped that by creating such courses the General Education program will be able to draw the active interest and participation of many of the University's most talented scientists, who would not be very enthusiastic about teaching a survey course but would like to attempt to explain some aspect of their field to interested undergraduates.

Raise Mathematical Level of Courses

Such a course might explore, for example, the theory of elementary physical particles or the nervous system and its functions, and would be characterized by a thoroughness which is not generally achieved in existing General Education courses. In particular, the committee recommended that the mathematical level of these courses be raised, since the compact and elegant language of mathematics is the fundamental tool of the most advanced modern sciences and is gradually becoming more and more important in other branches.

According to the report, "raising the (mathematical) level may be accomplished either by requiring, in concert with other colleges, more mathematical preparation for admission, or by providing instruction in mathematics where necessary as part of a course on science in General Education."

To encourage qualified undergraduates to pursue scientific interests outside the General Education program, the committee recommended that the Natural Science requirement be satisfiable by taking one full course not open to freshmen or two full courses regularly open to freshmen.

More Attention to Elementary instruction

In order that the faculty be able conveniently to offer such courses, the report suggested that the various science departments increase their staffs where necessary and that in filling new positions due attention be given, as is rarely the case at present, to the problem of elementary instruction.

One commonly suggested change in the Natural Science requirements, that two full lower level courses be required, was rejected by the committee.