The ability to examine and embrace change is a vital element to any successful institution – and GW is no different. Indeed the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences should be encouraged in its plans to revise the school’s General Curriculum Requirements, something that has not been reviewed in eight years.
As GW welcomes new CCAS Dean Marguerite Barratt, new University President Steven Knapp and as GW readies for a new round of accreditation evaluations soon, plenty of new ideas for change are available. Yet the University has some unresolved academic business to attend to before any significant changes can be considered – the four-by-four class schedule proposition. With an overhaul of the current scheduling system in question, any changes stemming from this GCR examination could prove futile.
In the spring, representatives from both the CCAS and Elliott School of International Affairs deferred any decisions on the proposal until the new administration was in place. As of now, the plan seems to be at a standstill with no clear outcome on the horizon. Although this evaluation may provide some insight on the debate, CCAS should be concerned with addressing the GCR issue in a timely manner. Starting now, CCAS should set a standard of evaluating their GCR policies on a consistent basis like other GW colleges – regardless of four-by-four.
Putting the four-by-four debate aside, a thorough look at CCAS’s current system of curriculum requirements is long overdue. Although it was examined less than a decade ago, no significant changes to the GCR system have been made in almost 20 years, something that is problematic on several levels.
Most of this fall’s freshmen weren’t even born yet the last time CCAS implemented serious changes in this area. The world of education is constantly evolving, which is especially pertinent for an arts and sciences college that offers fields ranging from psychology to biology to forensic science. Some of these disciplines have seen such revolutionary research in recent years that students should have the opportunity to take more classes in these majors, giving them a firmer grasp on the materials they are passionate about.
Every year, the etertnal question is asked by nearly every CCAS student: Why do I need this class that is totally unrelated to my major? This is a liberal arts college and students must possess a basic understanding of a wide variety of fields, but the current number of GCRs are more often considered more harmful than beneficial to overwhelmed students. However, it is important to remember that most GW students come from good high schools, where they were required to take everything from biology to history to Spanish. Frankly, if it is a class the student does not want to be taking, it is not likely that they will retain more from the college version of from the high school class, after the exams are in.
Making an English major take three lab sciences is going to frustrate both student and professor. As Tyler Anbinder, chair of the history department summed up, “There are students who don’t like history. I don’t want them in my class.” Students suffering to survive a class they don’t want to be enrolled in often end up learning little but see their grade point average decline. This same issue plagues the professors who must confront uninterested students while teaching peers who genuinely want to be in the class.
In the end, classes should be reduced to a laundry list of things to trudge through over four years. A true educational experience should reflect a student’s interests and expertise. While general requirements might help discover a new interest for a student, the amount necessary for graduation should not compromise the rest of their educational career.
