Council hears C2K changes

The Arts and Sciences Council heard a presentation of proposed changes to Curriculum 2000 Thursday, in an extended meeting that also included further discussion of proposed amendments to the council's by-laws--an issue that has been taken up in each of the council's last three meetings.

 Biology professor Steve Nowicki, chair of the ad-hoc Curriculum 2000 committee, presented a list of recommendations, which represent both a easing of course requirements and a general clarification of "the matrix."

 The committee's recommendations were based on data received from the Registrar's office, combined with surveys from faculty, pre-major advisors and students.

 "There was widespread concern that the curriculum was too constricting in some dimensions and perceived as being too complex," Nowicki said. "Some of the problem was true constraints placed on students, but a lot of it was perceived complexity."

 The IAA classification in Modes of Inquiry would be dropped under the plan, a step which originally met with opposition from department heads and directors of undergraduate studies, Nowicki said. To accommodate those concerns, the amended plan broadens the arts and literature classification in Areas of Knowledge to include performance arts, an area which the IAA distinction was intended to promote.

 "The IAA designation wasn't doing what it had been intended to do," he said. "It wasn't representing the aesthetic arts and was perceived as largely redundant by faculty, pre-major advisors and especially students."

 Nowicki noted the new Arts, Literature and Performance designation in Areas of Knowledge would better showcase the creative arts as a vital part of a liberal arts education.

 In a further change to the Modes of Inquiry designation, a course would be allowed to satisfy up to three modes of inquiry. Currently, a student must chose two codes, even when three are available.

 Professor of psychology Ruth Day worried that this change would cause students to search out courses that offered three codes at the expense of those satisfying fewer requirements.

 Nowicki said that he found this to already be the case, but noted such results were not necessarily prejudicial, as a course with more codes covers broader academic and intellectual areas--the ultimate goal of the curriculum. He further noted that while some students sought "to beat the system" by satisfying many requirements at once, most would not avoid classes with a single designation if the course was well-regarded on campus.

 "What really drives the best students is that they want to take the best courses," he said. "I don't think Duke students are working the system so much that they miss out on that."

 IN OTHER BUSINESS:

 After a lengthy discussion, the council voted on several smaller issues, precipitating more significant changes in the council's composition, which will be voted on at the March meeting.

The council extended the term of both the chair and members from two to three years in an attempt to promote greater continuity in the body. The members also chartered two new committees--the nominations committee and the faculty/student interaction committee. The members failed to vote on a bill that would have set the official start to the Academic Council's term in the spring, although most members voiced support for such a measure.

 Chair Kathy Ewing took a straw poll regarding the greater changes to the council--a reduction in size from 56 to 35 and a new election procedure--with the condensed council proposition receiving broad support and the new election protocol receiving neither support nor opposition, as most members abstained.