Now sophomores will join juniors and seniors in discussing their ideas in small, more intimate seminar settings.
Exclusively senior seminars may be a thing of the past. Now sophomores will join juniors and seniors in discussing their ideas in small, more intimate seminar settings.
The makeover that Curriculum 2000 received last spring allows classes taken during the sophomore year to count toward the Small Group Learning Requirement, which includes seminars, tutorials and independent studies. University officials said the goal of the revision is to permit students to have more flexibility and choice when making their schedules.
“It gives students the freedom to do what they want, when they want,” said Robert Thompson, dean of Trinity College. “Students can tailor their own learning experiences.”
Allowing seminar classes to count during the sophomore year gives juniors and seniors the opportunity to take classes for their majors and in other areas of personal interest. Thompson said it also encourages students to engage in independent research and to spend senior year writing a thesis, noting that students who choose to write a thesis can graduate with distinction.
Because seminar-style courses foster more interaction between the students and professor than large lecture classes do, students often become interested in the subject matter, which may motivate them to choose to do an independent study in that area.
“The seminar is not a passive model, but an interactive model,” said Gregson Davis, dean of humanities. “I don’t think the large lecture class is a good model.”
Some sophomores are often inclined to take classes to fulfill general requirements because they have not yet declared a major. But with this change, sophomores may be able to find a subject that piques their interest in a seminar setting.
“Seminars can aid in a process of self-discovery and help students declare their major,” Davis said.
But professors in some departments said encouraging sophomores to take seminars will not dramatically alter their students’ learning experiences. Keith Stanley, professor of classical studies and director of undergraduate studies, said courses in his department, for example, tend to already be taught in a smaller seminar-style format.
In addition, Thompson pointed out that all of the changes made to Curriculum 2000 remain in line with the spirit of C2K to ensure that every student has a balanced education.
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