Curriculum Changes Underway

As many K students are aware, sweeping changes have been made to the Kalamazoo College curriculum for next year. The new curriculum has been voted on and approved by K’s faculty; now, the student response is all that remains to be seen.

The alterations, announced March 30 via an e-mail from Provost Michael McDonald, and further explained by two more emails from first-year Dean of Advising Zaide Pixley, go into effect immediately for the class of 2013.

Upperclassmen and students matriculating in 2012 have the opportunity to opt into the curriculum by attending a “New Curriculum Workshop” to get information about the new requirements, learn how to structure the rest of their years at K, and start planning to achieve those goals.

The changes to the curriculum are simple. “Areas of Study” courses are no longer degree requirements. This means that if you’re a math major, you don’t have to take that creative expression class in order to graduate. On the flip side, English majors won’t have to worry about taking those Quantitative Reasoning courses anymore, as they’re no longer required.

Students will now take sophomore and senior seminars. The former is intended to enhance communication skills in preparation for study abroad, and the latter is either disciplinary or interdisciplinary—involved with the student’s chosen major, or focused on a particular topic or problem.

Rounding out the last set of changes, LACs—the bane of many a Spring Quarter senior--aren’t part of the new curriculum either, though LAC-like events will still take place on campus.

However, several things have stayed the same. The first-year seminar remains in place, students must have proficiency in a language up to the 103 or 201 level, and one unit of P.E. is still required. Majors, and the optional minors and concentrations, haven’t been removed, and seniors are required to complete a SIP.

STUDENT RESPONSES

Rene Perry K’12

“I’ll have a lot more time to choose classes that interest me, and I’m considering a minor as well. As a double major, under the old curriculum, I [couldn’t do that].”
“It gives the students a lot more responsibility in fulfilling a liberal arts education, whereas before it was kind of done for you.”
English & Business major

Emily Franklin K’12

“It’ll be less restraining on what classes you can and cannot take."
"I can still get a broad liberal education and take classes I’m interested in.”
Hoping to major in Biology, minor in Psychology

Stewart Finnegan K’12

“I’m definitely in favor of getting rid of the requirements, but I think that getting rid of the LACs is a mistake.”
“They take up less time than classes, it’s not as big of a deal if you don’t like them, and you’re more likely to run into something that you might not otherwise get exposed to.”
English major

Jake Price K’12

“I actually kind of liked the really strict requirements, because now I’m not as likely to take an English class; those are really interesting, but now I’m much less likely to take them.”
Math major

Bill Gallagher K’12

“I’m happy with the new curriculum because I like the lack of restrictions on what I learn.”
“We have a limited amount of time, a limited amount of classes we can take, and I’d like to focus on things that interest me."
Possible Poly Sci major

Laura Sigworth K’12

“My concern is that people won’t take classes from as broad a subject area.”
“I think the spirit behind it is good, but I don’t think they right in thinking that everybody’s still going to choose from all the different subject areas.”
History Major, German minor