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Phase IV: Final Curricular Proposals from the CEP
SKILLS AND CONTENTS REQUIREMENT
The CEP proposes that we enhance the College's current distribution requirement with a Skills and Contents requirement. In effect, we propose supplementing a modified version of the current distribution requirement with the requirement that students receive instruction in a number of specific core skills. Each part of the proposal will be voted on separately, as indicated on the attached ballot.
- OUR CURRENT NON-MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
In addition to completing a major, we currently require our students to complete a two-part distribution requirement and a two-part physical education requirement in order to receive a degree from Williams.
- The Distribution Requirement:
All students must complete a divisional requirement composed of three courses from each of the college's three divisions, two of which must be completed by the end of the sophomore year. No more than two of the courses used to satisfy this requirement may have the same course prefix.
In addition, students must complete one graded semester course designated as "Peoples and Cultures." [For more information on the distribution requirement, see the Williams College Bulletin for 2000-2001, 8-9.]
- The Physical Education Requirement:
All first-year students must take a swimming test. Those who fail this test must pass a basic swimming course during their first quarter of college. All students must also complete eight quarters (six weeks each) of physical education by the end of the sophomore year. During these eight quarters, students must enroll in at least three different activities and at least two quarters must be devoted to one carry-over sport. [For more information on the physical education requirement, see the Williams College Bulletin for 2000-2001, 12.]
- The Distribution Requirement:
- INTRODUCTION TO A SKILLS AND CONTENTS REQUIREMENT
Many of those who responded to the CEP's initial call for ideas and proposals last fall suggested that our current requirements do not necessarily provide our students with instruction in the skills integral to a liberal arts education. The CEP has come to agree with this position and proposes that we modify our current requirements so that they include the core skills of writing, oral argumentation, quantitative and formal reasoning, and foreign language proficiency. The CEP proposes enhancing the distribution requirements with a set of required Skills courses that students must complete before graduation.
The CEP recommends leaving the current divisional distribution requirement intact. Discussions with students and faculty members during the last several months have demonstrated to the CEP that the current requirement serves its purpose of exposing students to a broad variety of academic disciplines well and that it directly supports the need for intellectual breadth in a liberal arts education. Within the distribution requirement, the CEP recommends a major revision of the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement as "Issues of Contemporary Social Justice." In addition to these requirements in Contents, the CEP proposes requiring students to receive instruction in three core intellectual Skills: Writing Across the Curriculum, Speaking Across the Curriculum, and Quantitative and Formal Reasoning. The CEP also proposes requiring students to demonstrate elementary proficiency in a language other than English. Individual courses within the curriculum may fulfill both a Content requirement and one or more of the core Skills.
While the CEP continues to focus primarily on the intellectual justification for requiring our students to receive instruction in a given Skill or to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, we have begun to consider the implications that instituting these new requirements might have on the structure of our curriculum and staffing at the college. Nonetheless, we believe that all proposals voted on by the faculty must first be evaluated on their intellectual merit and only then discussed in terms of their implementation details. For this reason, the descriptions of the Skills and Contents below focus primarily on the rationale for instituting the requirement and secondarily on implementation.
- THE SKILLS REQUIREMENT
- Writing Across the Curriculum
Students graduating from Williams should receive instruction in effectively formulating and supporting an argument in writing. Many of the proposals submitted to the CEP reflect the concern that some of our students lack instruction in this critical intellectual skill. According to recent senior surveys, almost 50% of students feel that their undergraduate experiences did not greatly enhance their ability to write effectively. In alumni surveys, Williams rates slightly lower than its peer colleges in making a very important contribution to our students' ability to write. [Summary of Data Presented at Board Retreat, January 2001, 11, 16.]
The CEP proposes requiring that all students take two writing-intensive courses: one by the end of the sophomore year and one by the end of the junior year. The committee strongly believes that instruction in writing should take place across the curriculum. We also believe that students will benefit most from writing-intensive courses by taking them early in their college careers and that therefore students should be strongly encouraged to complete the requirement by the end of the sophomore year. Students for whom English 150: Expository Writing is recommended could use this course toward the requirement, but this particular course would not be required of those students. The committee anticipates that courses satisfying this requirement would be offered by most departments at Williams and be appropriately marked in the college catalog.
The CEP proposes altering the current definition of writing-intensive courses in the following way. All writing-intensive courses should:
- Provide students with criticism of and feedback on their writing, which they will be able to build on in subsequent writing assignments. Such criticism and feedback might include multiple drafts of a single writing assignment, rewriting assignments, sequential assignments, or multiple readers of a single assignment. The goal of such criticism and feedback should be to identify students' individual writing strengths, weaknesses, and goals.
- Have enrollments of no more than 19 students in order to make that criticism and feedback possible.
- Require 20-25 pages of writing from students over the course of the semester.
Implementation:
The CEP realizes that instituting a writing requirement will necessitate an increase in the number of writing-intensive courses in the curriculum, as well as a more detailed elaboration of our definition of "writing intensive." (The committee can also imagine that we might to need to offer some additional courses addressing very basic writing skills in the way that English 150: Expository Writing currently does.) With this requirement, as with others, the CEP would exercise oversight of the definition of "writing intensive" and of the courses that would satisfy the requirement.
More specifically, the CEP anticipates that instituting a writing requirement would result in an increased demand for courses that offer basic instruction in writing at the college level, and that the ways in which we currently offer such basic instruction would need to be reassessed if the faculty approves the proposed writing requirement. In addition, while many courses currently in our curriculum (such as CRAAS courses, tutorials, and those courses currently labeled writing intensive) would fulfill the new requirement, the college would need to increase the total number of courses that satisfy our new definition of writing intensive in the curriculum.
In addition, the CEP anticipates that instituting a writing requirement would entail expanding the resources available to both students and faculty, such as the Writing Workshop. If the faculty approves such a requirement, the CEP recommends the creation of an expanded resource center that could serve the needs not only of students but also of faculty who would like to enhance their ability to teach writing in their courses.
- Speaking Across the Curriculum
Students graduating from Williams should receive instruction in presenting ideas and making arguments orally. According to recent senior surveys, approximately a third of our students feel that their capacity to communicate well orally had been enhanced by their undergraduate experiences either not at all or only a little. In alumni surveys, Williams ranks slightly below its peer colleges in making a very important contribution to students' oral communication skills. [Summary of Data Presented at Board Retreat, January 2001, 11, 16.]
The CEP proposes requiring that all students take one speaking-intensive course before graduation. Such courses would be marked in the course catalog and would include tutorials, courses with tutorial components, and seminars that require students to make presentations or lead class discussion. In addition, such programs as the Mathematics and Statistics Department's senior colloquia could be used to fulfill this requirement.
The committee believes that all speaking-intensive courses should:
- Include significant assignments that focus on oral argumentation.
- Provide students with criticism of and feedback on their oral presentations, on which they will be able to build.
- Have enrollments that make such criticism and feedback possible.
Implementation:
The CEP realizes that instituting a speaking requirement will necessitate the identification of courses that already provide instruction in oral communication skills, such as tutorials, courses with tutorial components, CRAAS courses, and seminars that require students to make presentations or lead class discussion. In addition, the CEP anticipates that an increase in the number of speaking-intensive courses in the curriculum would be necessary, as well as a more detailed elaboration of our definition of "speaking intensive."
If the faculty approves such a requirement, the CEP recommends creating resources in oral communication available to both students and faculty members, similar to the Writing Workshop. Such resources might logically be located within an expanded resource center designed to provide instruction in both writing and speaking.
- Quantitative and Formal Reasoning
Students graduating from Williams should receive instruction in analyzing numerical data or formal reasoning. Recent senior surveys show that approximately 40% of our students felt that their undergraduate experiences had enhanced their ability to use quantitative tools either not at all or only a little. [ Summary of Data Presented at Board Retreat, January 2001, 11.]
The CEP proposes that all students be required to take one course that emphasizes quantitative or formal reasoning in a context interesting to the student by the end of the junior year. A variety of courses in mathematics, statistics, logic, computer science, laboratory science, economics, psychology, and methodology in the social sciences would fulfill the requirement. Those students who receive a quantitative studies bar as incoming first-year students (between 11% and 15% of the incoming class over the past three years, or 55-75 students) would be required to complete Math 100 or 101 in addition to taking a course that fulfills the Quantitative and Formal Reasoning requirement. Courses that satisfy this requirement would be marked in the college catalog.
Implementation:
Instituting a Quantitative and Formal Reasoning requirement would entail identifying courses in the curriculum that already provide instruction in this area in many departments in Divisions II and III. The CEP anticipates that instituting this requirement would have little to no impact on the college's current staffing or curriculum.
- Foreign Language Proficiency
All students graduating from Williams should have elementary proficiency in at least one language other than English. [The CEP defines "elementary proficiency" as Level 1 or S-1 on the five-level scale for language proficiency developed by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR).] Because language is a definitive human activity and a primary means of learning about, as well as communicating with, other peoples, times, and cultures, the study of foreign languages plays an integral role in a liberal arts education. Furthermore, the increasingly international dimension of our students' activity after graduation demands that we actively encourage communication in more than one language. Recent senior surveys show that approximately three quarters of our students feel that their undergraduate experiences have enhanced their knowledge of a foreign language either not at all or only a little. In addition, alumni surveys show that Williams is significantly behind its peer schools in making a contribution to our graduates' ability to speak and read in a foreign language. [ Summary of Data Presented at Board Retreat, January 2001, 11, 17.]
The CEP proposes requiring all students to demonstrate elementary proficiency--the equivalent of three semesters of language study at the college level--in at least one language other than English by the end of the junior year. [Foreign students from non-English speaking countries would be exempt from this requirement, since their acceptance to and study at Williams would demonstrate their proficiency in a language other than their own.] Students would be able to demonstrate such proficiency in a number of ways:
- By taking a single foreign language at Williams through the third semester.
- By passing a language proficiency exam administered by Williams in a language other than English with a score that would allow the student to place out of three semesters of language instruction at Williams.
- By receiving a score on an SAT-II subject exam, Advanced Placement exam, or International Baccalaureate exam in a language other than English that would allow the student to place out of three semesters of language instruction at Williams.
- By participating in a study abroad program, for a semester or a year, that has been previously approved by the college as providing at least elementary proficiency in a language other than English. The CEP anticipates that the college would develop a systematic process of approval involving foreign language faculty for such study abroad programs.
Implementation:
The CEP recognizes that requiring three semesters (or its equivalent) of language instruction of our students would not provide the same level of proficiency in all languages. Although native speakers of English experience varying levels of difficulty in acquiring ancient languages, Asian languages, Germanic languages, Romance languages, and Slavic languages, the CEP believes that three semesters of a foreign language would be sufficient to create a platform for the further study and use of a foreign language.
The CEP also realizes that instituting such a requirement would affect a significant percentage of students at the college. On the basis of information collected from the foreign language departments, the Admissions Office, and several of our peer schools with similar requirements, the CEP estimates that approximately one third of all students admitted to Williams would be able to demonstrate elementary proficiency in a foreign language upon matriculation and hence, would be exempt from fulfilling an elementary proficiency requirement while at Williams. Consequently, if the faculty approves this proposal, the college would need to increase staffing in those languages most commonly studied by our students, such as Spanish, French, and German, in order to maintain class sizes of 20 or fewer students to insure effective instruction. In addition, the CEP anticipates that instituting a foreign language proficiency requirement might encourage the college to expand the variety of languages it currently teaches to include such languages as American Sign Language, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Korean, or Swahili.
If the faculty approves a foreign language proficiency requirement, the CEP would be very interested in investigating the ways that winter study and the summer might enhance students language study, as well as create incentives for students to increase their proficiency in foreign languages.
- Writing Across the Curriculum
- CONTENTS REQUIREMENT
- Divisional Requirements
As stated in the Introduction, the CEP recommends retaining the current divisional distribution requirement. To guarantee breadth of exposure to academic contents, all students must complete a divisional requirement of three courses from each of the college's three divisions, two of which must be completed by the end of the sophomore year. No more than two of the courses used to satisfy this requirement in a given division may have the same course prefix. Individual courses within the curriculum may fulfill both a Content requirement and one or more of the core Skills.
The CEP also believes that in satisfying the Division I requirement, students should gain literacy in the verbal, visual, and aural arts. In satisfying the Division II r equirement, students should have opportunities to focus on the relation between the individual, society, and culture and on the multiple approaches to creating knowledge in this area. In satisfying the Division III requirement, students should not only study about science, they should also learn to do science. Therefore, one of the two courses taken in Division III should actively engage the student in the practice of natural science. Those Division III courses, for majors and non-majors, that incorporate substantial laboratory components are ideally suited to satisfy this aspect of the requirement.
- Issues of Contemporary Social Justice
The CEP proposes a major revision of the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement we currently make of our students. The CEP shares the concern of the Committee on Diversity and Community and other interested parties on campus, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the assumptions about "otherness" inherent in the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement, as well as the large number and diffuse array of courses that satisfy the current requirement. Rather than eliminate this requirement, however, the CEP believes that the college should reassess the requirementıs aims and position within our curriculum. As statistical data, including profiles of first-year students and senior surveys, show, we are doing little to enhance our studentsı awareness of social problems, current events, racial understanding, and social and environmental issues. [Summary of Data Presented at Board Retreat, January 2001, 7, 9, 11, 16-17.] The current process of curricular review provides us with the ideal opportunity to reassess the requirement so that it will better address this problem.
The CEP proposes renaming the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement as "Issues of Contemporary Social Justice" and broadening the requirement's scope to include questions of social class, gender, and sexuality, as well as race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism. The CEP anticipates that many but not all courses that currently satisfy the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement would be included among those courses designated as "Issues of Contemporary Social Justice." In addition, certain courses currently in our curriculum that do not satisfy the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement would fulfill the new "Issues of Contemporary Social Justice" requirement. The following are offered as examples to illustrate the difference between the current and the proposed new requirement. Based on descriptions of individual courses in the Williams College Courses of Instruction for 2001-2002, the CEP anticipates:
- The following courses would probably fulfill both the old and the new requirements:
- ANTH 216: Native Peoples of Latin America
- ECON 204: Economic Development in Poor Countries
- ENGL 221: Asian American Literature and Culture
- HIST 203: Sub-Saharan Africa Since 1800
- PSCI 318: The Voting Rights Act and the Voting Rights Movement
- PSYC 341: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
- ECON 204: Economic Development in Poor Countries
- The following courses would satisfy the old requirement but probably not the new:
- ANTH 215: The Secrets of Ancient Peru: Archaeology of South America
- ARTH 172: Introduction to Asian Art
- CHIN 101-102: Basic Chinese
- HIST 215: Premodern Japan
- MUS 126: Musics of Asia
- REL 232: Women and Islam
- ARTH 172: Introduction to Asian Art
- The following courses do not fulfill the old requirement but would probably fulfill the new:
- ENGL 219: Literature by Women
- HIST 335: Class, Gender, and Race in Post-1945 Britain
- HIST 378: History of Sexuality in America
- PSCI 203: Justice: Introduction to Political Theory
- PSCI 209: Poverty in America
- REL 304: From Hermeneutics to Post-Coloniality
- THEA 215: Femininity on Stage
- WGST 101: Introduction to Womenıs and Gender Studies
- HIST 335: Class, Gender, and Race in Post-1945 Britain
The CEP hopes that the reassessment of this requirement will emphasize that courses fulfilling the new requirement would be only one dimension of a multi-dimensional commitment to education for and about a diverse world at Williams.
Students would be required to complete one graded semester course designated as "Issues of Contemporary Social Justice" to satisfy this requirement, either at Williams or on an approved study away program. As is presently the case with the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement, courses fulfilling the "Issues of Contemporary Social Justice" requirement would also satisfy a divisional requirement. The committee anticipates that courses fulfilling this requirement would be offered by a wide variety of departments at Williams and would be appropriately marked in the college catalog. [The CEP would like to thank the Committee on Diversity and Community for its discussion of the "Peoples and Cultures" requirement, parts of which we have incorporated into this section of our proposal.]
Implementation:
The CEP anticipates little to no impact on the collegeıs current curriculum or staffing as a result of the proposed change due to the wide variety of courses in the curriculum that include cross-cultural and multicultural materials, as well as discussions of the ways in which culture, ethnicity, race, sexuality, and gender intersect with each other. If the faculty approves this proposal, the CEP will need to assess the number of such courses in the curriculum and encourage the development of new courses that would satisfy the requirement as necessary.
- Physical Education
The CEP proposes eliminating the swimming test as a requirement for graduation because the ability to swim is not critical to the completion of a liberal arts degree.
Implementation:
The CEP anticipates that eliminating the swimming test as a requirement for graduation would have little to no impact on either the curriculum or staffing at the college.
The CEP proposes changing the current requirement that students take eight quarters of physical education by the end of the sophomore year either:By cutting the requirement in half to require students to take only four quarters of Physical Education by the end of the sophomore year. Physical Education is an important element of a liberal arts education and is not the same thing as intercollegiate competitive sports. Physical Education is an academic discipline that makes no assumptions about the level of students' athletic ability. A requirement in Physical Education insures that every Williams College student is exposed to a certain set of skills and has a platform for life-long learning in this area. The current requirement of eight quarters of Physical Education, which has been in place for a number of years without review, is too high when compared to similar requirements at our peer institutions. Four quarters will be sufficient to achieve the goal of the requirement. In addition, eliminating this requirement, as proposed below, could weaken or even possibly abolish Physical Education at Williams, leaving the field entirely to competitive intercollegiate athletics. Retaining a reduced Physical Education requirement will preserve Physical Education as a part of the general liberal arts curriculum and maintain a balance between Physical Education and intercollegiate competitive sports at the College.
Implementation:
Reducing the physical education requirement from eight to four quarters would allow the Physical Education Department to rework its curriculum to provide a more robust array of courses focusing on wellness and life-long fitness. The CEP would like to note that the Physical Education Department has conducted a serious, on-going discussion of their curriculum; appended to the end of this document is a summary of the results of their curricular review.
-- or --
By eliminating the Physical Education requirement entirely. Education in the liberal arts focuses on a variety of intellectual pursuits that aim to produce alumni capable of thinking critically, reading and writing analytically, speaking thoughtfully, understanding cultural differences, and analyzing information. Our requirements should focus on the intellectual pursuits that provide competency in these areas. Many worthwhile activities contribute to the broad education of our students, such as participation in artistic performances, service projects, student governance, literary publications, and physical education. However, these activities are not at the core of an academic degree in the liberal arts and therefore should not be required for that degree.
Implementation:
Eliminating the physical education requirement entirely would greatly reduce the number and variety of physical education courses offered at the college. The college might be able to encourage students to take courses in physical education without a requirement if we were to move to a credit-hour system and grant academic credit for such courses.
- Divisional Requirements
- APPENDIX: SUMMARY OF THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT
In December, 2000, a committee was formed to review the physical education requirement at Williams. Chaired by the Coordinator of Physical Education, Mike Russo, the committee included Physical Education faculty members Julie Greenwood, Steve Kuster, Renzie Lamb, Scott Lewis, and Pat Manning. The committee arrived at the following conclusions:
- The committee unanimously agrees that there should be a physical education requirement at Williams. The primary objective of such a requirement should be to foster fitness, wellness, and the integration of physical and intellectual capacities in our students. The physical education requirement should aim to develop in students an appreciation of physical fitness and wellness and to expose them to a variety of activities suitable for lifetime participation.
- The committee believes that the requirement should be reduced from eight to four credits. In reducing the requirement, the Physical Education Department would restructure its curriculum to offer courses at the 100, 200, and 300 levels. Courses at the 200 and 300 levels would incorporate a wellness component to encourage healthy, active lifestyles that will optimize students' long-term well-being.
- The committee believes that a four credit requirement would allow the Physical
Education Department to refocus its efforts on a core group of offerings, to improve
the quality of teaching in its classes, and to make enforcement of the requirement more
manageable. To this end,
- Credit would only be given for classes taught by faculty members in the Physical Education Department and certified part-time instructors. Classes taught by student instructors would be supervised by a physical education staff member.
- Credit would not be given for independent study as it currently exists, managing athletic teams, rehabilitation, marching band, winter carnival, youth center coaching, or other such activities.
- Intercollegiate varsity athletes would earn two credits per season but would be required to take one physical education class. Junior varsity and club athletes would receive one credit per season and would need to take two physical education classes. Two sport intercollegiate varsity athletes would be exempt from the physical education requirement.