I, Glenn A. Steinberg, Assistant Professor of English at The College of New Jersey, am on the English Department Curriculum Committee and the School of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee. As a faculty member with an obvious interest in curriculum, I will be involved (in one capacity or another) in the College-wide review and re-evaluation of the General Education curriculum that will be beginning this semester on campus.
As a first step in preparing for my involvement in this review and re-evaluation, I would like to solicit student input and research concerning the General Education program as it currently exists, as well as possible alternatives to the existing program.
I am keenly aware that students often complain about their General Education courses and about the program as a whole, but I do not know the reasons or causes behind their complaints. As a result, I would like 7 students in class to volunteer to research and write reports that make an argument about the causes of student discontent with the General Education program. Each student should work individually and write an individual report of 1000-1200 words in standard report format (with a title, headings, and appropriate graphics). The report should be carefully researched and professionally presented, but most importantly, it should go beyond simply enumerating student complaints against the General Education program into an analysis of the causes of those complaints. What causes the tension that currently exists between students and the General Education program?
I would like the rest of class to explore alternatives to the current General Education program. I want each student to find a General Education program at another school and to write a report that makes a resemblance argument from precedent in favor of (or in opposition to) revising The College of New Jersey's General Education curriculum to be more like the other school's. Each student should work individually and write an individual report of 1000-1200 words in standard report format (with a title, headings, and appropriate graphics). The report should be carefully researched and professionally presented, but most importantly, it should present a complete and logical resemblance argument that establishes a similarity (or lack thereof) between The College of New Jersey and the other school as a basis for recommending a change (or no change) in the direction of the other school's General Education program.
Keep in mind that your reports will be graded based on my usual grading criteria for papers.