Deans and faculty reviewing the College's curriculum this year have begun to discuss the possible elimination of three-credit courses in favor of four-credit courses, which would reduce the number of courses required to graduate.
If this idea is implemented, students would complete their 120 credit hours by taking 30 four-credit courses. Supporters argue that what students would lose in breadth and experimentation they would gain in depth, while opponents fear that students would miss the opportunity to take a variety of courses.
Richard Handler, associate dean for academic programs in the College, said the idea has been in the air for a long time, but has not yet been discussed in great detail.
"We haven't really started to look at it yet," he said.
This semester, Handler chaired a committee of College faculty that examined the curriculum. He will send a committee report to College Dean Edward L. Ayers, who will oversee a similar committee next semester.
Ayers' committee then will report recommendations to the entire faculty during the two or three faculty meetings of the semester. Any curriculum changes will be decided by a majority vote by the faculty.
H.C. Erik Midelfort, a history and religious studies professor, was the chair of the committee on curricular revision in 1992. Curriculum changes that year included a non-western perspectives requirement, a history requirement and an increase in the science requirement from nine to 12 credits.
Now, Midelfort said, "there has been some criticism that the curriculum is incoherent in the humanities and social sciences. It allows you to take a little of this and a little of that, and you could end up with an education that just doesn't hang together. So we are thinking if there is any way we can improve the coherence of the curriculum without making it so rigid so that everyone would hate it."
Midelfort said some departments would find a four-credit, four-course-a semester curriculum too rigid.
"If you require four-credit classes, that means we are encouraging intensive study of fewer subjects," he said. "Some departments are asking if you can introduce a field properly with only eight courses instead of 10 for a major."
As the main benefit, students would appreciate the ability to have a more focused course of study, while some professors would appreciate the ability for more research time, Midelfort said.
"Some students are too distracted by taking five difficult courses a semester." "There are only so many balls you can juggle before they begin to fall down. Imagine how much free time professors would have," Midelfort said. "Then maybe they could actually get some research done."
Four-credit courses also could lead to the demise of so-called "gut courses," Midelfort said.
"Now, students might take two or three courses that are tough, and then a fun or 'just because their interested' course or frankly, a 'gut' course. It's too bad if someone teaches a gut course. It's not good for students' minds. It's not good for their education. Most courses would be better if you require serious application and study."
If implemented, the move from three to four credits would take an enormous effort and logistical skill, administrators say.
"It would change where classes would be set up and the times they'd be offered," Midelfort said. "If you meet different times a week you would have to change classrooms and teaching slots. We are running a fairly tight ship now as it is, and we don't have infinite amount of space and time to do anything we want."
Handler also said he was wary of engaging such a massive overhaul at this time.
"There's not a lot of movement for big curriculum reform right now. Much of the basic curriculum will stay the same," Handler said.
The College of Literature, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has offered a mix of three- and four-credit courses for the past 50 years, said Chuck Judge, an assistant in the academic affairs office.
Judge said he sensed the Michigan faculty is reluctant to make radical changes. "It's accepting the current structure the way it is," he said.
Regardless, Handler stressed that sweeping alterations would be a more arduous undertaking than students may realize.
"Some students might think that someone just waves a magic wand and the curriculum gets changed, Handler said. "Last time we did this it took five years"
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