Generals May Be Replaced--But By What?

History concentrators may finally be relieved of the pain and tension of general examinations--but at a high price.

A proposal presently before the History Department would replace generals with three month-long "Senior Colloquia," in essence another half course in History on top of the six full courses in History already required by the department.

The undergraduate curriculum committee last week submitted to the History Department a more detailed version of a proposal it first submitted last February to change the nature of the generals, which six students failed last May.

If the History Department adopts the proposal, senior concentrators will participate in three month-long modules. Seniors will be free to take the modules during any three months they choose, and will have a variety of topics to choose from.

The colloquia would concentrate on themes or phenomena common in a variety of historical periods--such as "revolution" or "industrialization"--rather than on a specific era, Thomas J. Kimmell '74-3, a member of the committee, said yesterday.

At the conclusion of each module, the instructor would assign a paper of not more than 2500 words to be completed in one to three days. The three papers would serve the purpose of the present exam, which is designed to give students the opportunity to bring together three years of course work in a comparative approach to history.

The proposal also recommends implementation of a pilot project if the department decides it cannot yet commit itself fully to the plan. The pilot program would permit a limited number of representative seniors to participate in the colloquia, exempting them from the general examination.

Wallace T. MacCaffrey, chairman of the History Department, said Wednesday that he had not yet had time to consider the proposal. However, he said that the History faculty would consider it before the end of the semester. McCaffrey was unavailable for further comment yesterday.