Faculty Approves Surprise Change to Core Reform

The Class of 2003 will face a Quantitative Reasoning course requirement, as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) last night unanimously approved the most sweeping changes to the Core curriculum since its inception in 1974.

In addition, the Faculty approved motions to examine undergraduate language requirements, as well as reducing overall requirements, and called for reports on these topics by the end of 1997.

The Faculty ran nearly thirty minutes over its customary two-hour limit for meetings, as several votes required head counts and heated debate required the enforcement of time limits for speakers.

Legislation adopted at the meeting, while increasing the number of Core areas, keeps the number of Core requirements for each student at eight. The legislation also mandates "no fewer than six courses per term in each of the Core areas," and encourages greater inclusion of departmental courses in the Core.

In a highly unusual move, Faculty members failed to follow a unanimous recommendation of the Faculty Council to table a proposal. The Faculty voted against tabling and passed the measure, which allows departmental courses with prerequisites to join the Core (see story this page).

Pforzheimer University Professor Sidney Verba '53, chair of the Faculty's Core Review Committee, presented his committee's recommendations, refined through months of negotiation and debate, as the meeting's main motion.

Verba estimated that sufficient courses would not be developed for the Quantitative Reasoning area until September of 1999, meaning that all current students and members of the classes of 2001 and 2002 will not be affected.

Though he expressed some concerns about the measure to allow high-level courses into the Core, Verba said he was pleased with the meeting's overall results.

"I'm very happy with what came out," he said. "I think the Core will come out greatly strengthened."

Responding to student concerns about the Core's inflexibility, the Faculty adopted Verba's call for FAS Dean Jeremy R. Knowles to develop incentives for teaching in the Core and urged Core committees to make their guidelines more inclusive.

These changes are designed to bring more departmental courses through the review process necessary for entering the Core.

After a call to end debate and vote on Verba's motion, President Neil L. Rudenstine took a voice vote in which three Faculty members voted "no." This vote, however, was invalidated by Rudenstine's failure to take a vote on the move to end debate.

When another vote was taken on the measure, Rudenstine's call for "no" votes found a silent room. Arnold Professor of Science William H. Bossert '59, who had voted "no" in the original vote, abstained but later said he had meant to prevent unanimity.

"I did intend to vote no--I just didn't get up in time," Bossert said, citing questions about the committee's definition of "inclusive."

Small Core Courses

After approving Verba's proposal, the Faculty began the first of several intellectual debates about what kind of education Harvard students should receive.

Noting that approval of his plan to include smaller, seminar-style courses in the Core would be "a shot heard round the country, if not the world," Marquand Professor of English Lawrence Buell began to defend a motion he admitted was likely to fail. The motion met unanimous opposition within the Faculty Council last week.

Buell began by nothing that "in my entire career, I have never played Don Quixote, at least not knowingly: that is, press a cause that looked certain to fail."

Buell's critics included Professor of History Mark Kishlansky, who said he was sorry to be the hydroelectric plant to Buell's Don Quixote.

Kishlansky read calculations predicting that adopting Buell's plan would require 451 senior Faculty to teach in the Core every other year. Current senior Faculty number 409.

Buell said he feared that without the chance to encounter professors up close, students could be "socialized irretrievably into a culture of avoidance and (at worst) passive consumerism."

Ellen Fitzpatrick, associate professor of history, compared speaking against smaller classes to speaking against lower taxes.

But Fitzpatrick opposed Buell's proposal on the basis that its small size would exclude many undergraduates.

The motion, expected to fail over-whelmingly, was rejected only after a voice vote proved inconclusive and the resulting head count totaled 45 for, 86 against.

"You could say, 'How could anyone vote against smaller classes?'" Knowles said after the meeting. "But we must ask how to use our resources most effectively."

Other Proposals

Gregory Nagy, Jones professor of classical Greek literature and professor of comparative literature, and Michael E. Hasselmo '84, Loeb professor of the social sciences, both made motions which were sent to the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) for study and a December report.

Nagy called for a review of the foreign language requirement, while Hasselmo proposed reducing the number of overall undergraduate requirements.

The EPC is an advisory group of Faculty members who will weigh the proposals in consultation with the Committee on Undergraduate Education, which includes undergraduates. The resulting report will be presented to the Faculty Council for consideration at the end of this calendar year.

Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman rose to make a motion eliminating the current bypasses given for science Core courses for Advanced Placement test credit, but withdrew it after a short speech.

Feldman said that he was satisfied that his proposal would be reviewed in other forums, and thanked the Faculty for its indulgence in allowing the motion to be heard

"I did intend to vote no--I just didn't get up in time," Bossert said, citing questions about the committee's definition of "inclusive."

Small Core Courses

After approving Verba's proposal, the Faculty began the first of several intellectual debates about what kind of education Harvard students should receive.

Noting that approval of his plan to include smaller, seminar-style courses in the Core would be "a shot heard round the country, if not the world," Marquand Professor of English Lawrence Buell began to defend a motion he admitted was likely to fail. The motion met unanimous opposition within the Faculty Council last week.

Buell began by nothing that "in my entire career, I have never played Don Quixote, at least not knowingly: that is, press a cause that looked certain to fail."

Buell's critics included Professor of History Mark Kishlansky, who said he was sorry to be the hydroelectric plant to Buell's Don Quixote.

Kishlansky read calculations predicting that adopting Buell's plan would require 451 senior Faculty to teach in the Core every other year. Current senior Faculty number 409.

Buell said he feared that without the chance to encounter professors up close, students could be "socialized irretrievably into a culture of avoidance and (at worst) passive consumerism."

Ellen Fitzpatrick, associate professor of history, compared speaking against smaller classes to speaking against lower taxes.

But Fitzpatrick opposed Buell's proposal on the basis that its small size would exclude many undergraduates.

The motion, expected to fail over-whelmingly, was rejected only after a voice vote proved inconclusive and the resulting head count totaled 45 for, 86 against.

"You could say, 'How could anyone vote against smaller classes?'" Knowles said after the meeting. "But we must ask how to use our resources most effectively."

Other Proposals

Gregory Nagy, Jones professor of classical Greek literature and professor of comparative literature, and Michael E. Hasselmo '84, Loeb professor of the social sciences, both made motions which were sent to the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) for study and a December report.

Nagy called for a review of the foreign language requirement, while Hasselmo proposed reducing the number of overall undergraduate requirements.

The EPC is an advisory group of Faculty members who will weigh the proposals in consultation with the Committee on Undergraduate Education, which includes undergraduates. The resulting report will be presented to the Faculty Council for consideration at the end of this calendar year.

Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman rose to make a motion eliminating the current bypasses given for science Core courses for Advanced Placement test credit, but withdrew it after a short speech.

Feldman said that he was satisfied that his proposal would be reviewed in other forums, and thanked the Faculty for its indulgence in allowing the motion to be heard