Social Studies Drops Generals, Will Expand Senior Oral Exam

The Committee on Degrees in Social Studies this week officially announced its decision to eliminate the written junior general examination, tentatively proposing expansion of the senior oral examination in its place.

"Members of the department had felt for some time that the written generals had not been worth the time and energy both students and faculty had put into them," Jeff A. Weintraub, assistant professor of Social Studies and Sociology, said yesterday.

"The quality of the essays was never that good, and the responses were often not general enough," he added.

A committee of Social Studies teaching staff members has yet to decide on the details of the proposed alternative examination but future junior concentrators may be required to submit a more general paper based on their tutorial at the end of junior year, Assistant Professor of Government Michael J. Smith '73 and head of the committee, said yesterday.

Through the reform, the group hopes to test general understanding more thoroughly and provide greater incentive for students to reflect on their work in the concentration. Smith said, adding that the department was not lowering its standards in dropping the junior exam.

Social Studies concentrators, notified by letter that the junior exam had been cancelled, had few objections. "I'm pretty happy about it. I was planning to start reviewing next week," said Dean J. Norris '85.