G Th'i D?-1y Tcr M: -Vr.'cr.day, November 10, 1C0
G:c c:i. $HAD?cui. Ed tor
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o
DiMTA Jakus, M.v:ji:i Editor
C,;ad Iltn.'OV, :;i;.v fJl.Vr
PAM IIlLlEY , ytw.YUr Ei.'.Vf
Kan Roixy, vs EJfor
Linda E:own, University Editor ;
Martha Waggones, Gi Efirr
Mask Muejxix, State and National
Editor
Bill Fields, Sports Editor
Jakes Alexander, Features Editor
Tom Mocse, rtf &cr .
Scott Siiakpe, Photography Editor
Ann FEirns, IVeekerJor Editor
f
By Z?l J7D POOLE
ft
".'.'1 jcjr of editorial freedom
The new . curriculum
After 2Vz years of study, UNC's proposed curriculum is in near
final form. The Committee on Undergraduate Curricular Reform,
having given faculty and students a chance to poke holes in its
proposal, will patch it up and submit it for consideration and revision
to the University's administrative board and Faculty Council
Educational Policy Committee. The administration is taking its time
with the new curriculum, because it will profoundly affect the quality
of a Carolina education.
Although some students have misgivings about the process used to
develop the new curriculumonly two students were on the committee
of 17 that put the final report together we must judge that process, in
part, by its product. The committee's report outlines a strong
curriculum, one that would give students a broader, more cohesive
education than that required by the present curriculum.
The proposal attempts to lift Carolina's curriculum from the
departmental depths to which it has sunk. In place of the present
requirements for humanities and social science courses, it creates new
requirements in "perspectives": the aesthetic, the philosophical, the
natural and social sciences, and Western historical. It also revises the
requirements for the basic skills courses math, English composition
and foreign language that a University graduate ought to have. The
proposed curriculum is meant to provide a more general education; its
structure follows the form of those perspectives rather than
departmental categories. It will press the undergraduate to expand his
knowledge outside his major and related fields.
In doing so, the new curriculum must limit, to a degree, the choices
it leaves open to students within the General College. If implemented,
the proposal would withdraw credit for foreign language 1 courses
that all freshmen should have taken in high school, thereby lend jng
some force to admission requirements for language. It also specifies
that one course in the Western historical perspective must concern the
period before 1700, thus ruling out courses in the Afro-American
studies curriculum. Yet Af-Am courses can be used to fulfill the other
part of the requirement, and new ones may be developed.
The report also would force bachelor of Science degree candidates
to channel their elective courses into the five perspectives; yet this, like
the other requirements, does not seem unreasonable in the context of
the whole report and its objective of general education. In fact, more
general educational requirements would seem necessary for students
whose studies are heavily concentrated in a single scientific field.
The pencil hovered just above the paper, poised to be
whisked across the page. I held my breath. My adviser
was nearly ready to sign his name to give me. permission .
to preregister for the last time at Carolina. He was the
last hurdle..
"Hmnanni," he said. I began to worry. "So this will
fulfill all of the requirements for you?" -'.! ., .
"Yes, sir," I replied, hoping he wouldn't realize that
the array of classes I was trying to register fcr was
ridiculously slack. ..
"This looks fine," he beamed, locking up from the
computer form. "This is the last time you'll have to go
through this hassle, huh?"
"Yes, sir," I said. I say that a lot around my adviser,
and anyone else who has me by the throat.
Eight semesters without having to justify why nearly
every course I've taken outside my major has the words
"Introduction to" in the title. I've tried very hard to
avoid all the work I possibly can here, and I'm not
ashamed to admit it.
By saying that, I've probably caused an incredible
number of educators (what teachers like to call
themselves these days) to get flustered and bothered.
College, they would say, should be a time of challenge,
a quest for knowledge and a chance to broaden one's
horizons.
These educators, mind you, are the same people who
biters to C;e editor
tcck Flirt rcrt;:::;.t::.i It I crd A'hn Architecture 33
so they cculi have 3.0 av;::;;: and get ir.to grad
school. They are cut frcm the s:e meld as the high
schcel advisers who svcre to yea all through high
school that the SAT didn't ir.can &3 that much when
you're trying to get in college, but who told you to
forget the Ivy League when you only made 1,200.
People who find out what kind of classes I take often
blink their eyes, look at me Incredulously and then ask
what that. possibly could have to do with journalism.
I'll have to admit that seme of my classes tax even my
own wxll-hcr.ed ability fcr ccatrivlrlame excuses. For
the most part, however, I spcut eff a stock answer I
developed Icrg zzo.
. v
. - W ' wy i
jm4 h v., " f
"It is tetter for a journalist to knew a Little about a
' lot of things than for him to know a great deal about a
very few things," I say.
The response, of course, is utter sheep dip. I don't
use it anymore on journalism professors, because one
began to cough and gag when I did. It works fine on
everyone else, though. ., ,.
It won't be long before those of us who are seniors
will begin the seemingly hopeless search for. a real
jsb cr.e v.eo l:;::i:.:;'y h fcr O heirs a v
In that search, we will run c.crcss i.r:rviev,ers v.l.o
quite prcb-b! took jirriir.r shortcuts v. hen they
bunged crcur.J in ac:.i::;;;i fcr four jrars. The key,
ere gu::s:s, is to keep th:-e pr,-': f;u:n fl.-.rg cut
the titles cf the courses actually tcl.en. So-ar.i-Co 31 cr
This-and-That 53 sounds a little better than
Introduction to So-cr i-So cr Ilos'e This-cr.J-That.
It's also a let eerier cn rr; v,hen I go heme. My
parents are nice about ser.il-g me to cell::., even
though my mem hr,:n't heel a new arti:!: cf clethbg
since 1974. 1 fir d it simpler to show good d mem and
dad A's and B's on easier courses than to explain to.
them that a C-minus is a good grade in Basic Structures
of Organic Chemistry. .They stay happy znd I keep
getting money.
In fairness to those instructors I have had n the pest,
let me say that there is no such thing as an easy course
around here. The operative term is easier, and I'm
positive that the instructors of some of the Teflons
(read slides) I've had, know they don't teach the kind cf
class where students" spend three hours a day grappling
to master the material.
"Your attitude is shocking and has no place cn a
college campus or in a college newspaper," I hear the
folks saying now. They're right. And come May, it
.won't be, because I'll have managed to slide right on
out cf this illustrious institution.
David Poole, a senior journalism end Introduction to
major from Casionla, is a ' columnist end assistant
sports editor for The Daily Tar Heel.
W 1 M
rr7!irn fVv fi?? n r?
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To the editor:
I wonder if the DTH consistently
practices defamation as a means of
validating poor journalism.
On Oct. 31, the Z 77 ran a front-page
article concerning a protest against Shell
Oil by a group of UNC law students,
"Job recruiters for oil firm met by
protest," (DTH, Oct. 31). The article
incorrectly quoted a statement made by
Alex Charns as to reasons for the
protest.
To correct the error and "set the
record straight," Charms wrote a
letter to the editor which was published
Nov. 5. The letter, as submitted to the
DTH, was typewritten and seemingly
easy to reproduce in print.
Unfortunately, the paper again
misrepresented Charns by deleting a
portion of his letter.
The deleted portion, "Examples of
such policies are opposition to small
scale renewable energy projects and
profit gouging," was transformed into
"Examples of such policies oppose small
scale. .."etc.. The original sentence was
intended to specify examples of oil
I . think not, despite a tacky, poorly
phrased editor's note to the contrary.
Clean it up, kids I
Jerry Swartzberg
. "' UNC Law Student -
Refreshing '-
To the editor:
: In' a recent letter," Mark McCombs
criticizes David Poole in his column
"Masters of the obvious are wretched
pests," (DTH, Nov. 3), for focusing his
. "attempts at humor" on "perfectly
obvious and nauseatingly overworked
themes as people, who make
aggravatingly trite observations."
McCombs then turns his attack toward
Poole's weekly column by referring to it
as being "aggravating" and "trite."
In responding, I'd like Jo first state
(and please correct me if I am wrong)
that I cannot recall having seen a recent
glut of articles dealing with
"overworked themes" such as masters
cf the obvious. Perhaps I am restricting
myself too severely, but my course work
necessitates that I confine myself largely
to literature dealing with subject matter
pertaining to accounting and economic
theories. By comparison, Poole's
column provides a refreshing and
o
entertaining break from routine.
If McCombs is satisfied with the
drudgery cf academics then that is his
problem, but in the future I hope that
he'll temper his caustic remarks with a
bit of humor so that Poole can get back
to the business of providing the rest cf
us a few chuckles with which to start the
day. If nothing else, at least his column
uses space which otherwise would be
wasted on letters from
McCombs and myself.
pco
like
Chip Shcrrill
G-10 Colony Apartments
The success of the new curriculum will depend partly on the ability company policies which the protesters
of this University to communicate with the state's public high schools,
which produce most of UNC's students. It assumes, for instance, that
high school foreign language instruction can be improved by 1984,
when UNC's language requirements would become stricter. It also
would require far more extensive testing of students before they enter
the University, and the need for such testing in math and foreign language
must be emphasized to high schools, else the curriculum reform will
break down before it begins.
The proposed curriculum is the product of hours of thought and
discussion by students and faculty committed to improving
undergraduate education. It will be worthless, however, unless
administrators ensure that the philosophy of general education is
maintained as the curriculum report's proposals are implemented. Its
perspectives cannot become mere categories into which courses and
students are shoved to meet requirements. Such courses, as they are
taught, must incorporate those perspectives; interdisciplinary and
capstone courses, which bring together several fields and perspectives,
should be developed.
The University has committed $150,000 to the improvement of
general education, but is must maintain its philosophical commitment
to that goal as the curriculum reforms are instituted. Otherwise, the
College Curriculum Report will be another high-minded educational
idea doomed to fail.
So much for the radicals
1930 has been a rough year for those who appreciate a little creative
radicalism. This past summer, former Yippie leader Jerry Rubin took
a $3O,0D0-ayear job on Wall Street. Then in September Abbie
Hoffman, another Yippie, surrendered to police just as his new book
came out, leading some to speculate that he sought the financial
rewards his book was sure to bring.
And now, an article in November's Esquire magazine has revealed
what former Beatle John Lcnnon has been doing with his time these
past few years. '
To refresh those who may have forgotten, Lennon was always the
radical Beatb. He's the one who allegedly proclaimed the Beatles were
bigger than Jesus Christ. He once announced at a Beatles benefit
concert attended by the royal family that members of the audience
who liked the band's performance could applaud. He then looked up
at the nobility sitting in the royal box and added that if they were
pleased, they could just rattle their jewelry,
Lennon is .the one who wrote only a decade ago, Imagine no
possesions1 wonder if yon cm.
App-rcntly Lennon couldn't. The Esquire article notes .that in the
last few years he has been gathering quite a few, including a Palm.
Btach mansion, 230 Holstdn cows and 1,600 acres. of land .in the
CiiskiHs,
He recently admitted in another interview that his radicalism in the
early '70s was phony, the result of guilt feelings from always making
money. ;
For tie p '' t Fi: y: rs Lcnr.cri hm ;p:nt r.ft cf h's time in
found counter to the public interest. The
staff, in its misguided exercise of
editorial discretion, constructed the
sentence so as to confuse and obscure
the point made by Charns.
In a note following. the letter the DTH
unequivocally asserted its accuracy in
regards to the oral statement misquoted
in the Oct. 31 article. In doing so, the
staff essentially called Charns a liar.
Considering the above, I would like to
pose the rhetorical question of whether a
paper that cannot correctly reproduce a
typewritten statement can be believed to
have correctly quoted an oral statement.
iYeXi,M Tdl DADDY HOT TO f Mfe k iVitei!u
vprry 'BPurevitroiuuust m&W$iLr mm,0Sm
.GUVMOR RCAGAtl YllkBe ") J) H 4l
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What it all boils' down to
TUne (College mm?kmhjrm
6
By ELIZABETH DANIEL
During the next few weeks, the College Curriculum
Report will be studied and amended for the last time by
the Committee on Undergraduate Curricular Reform
before it is sent to the Faculty Council for find
approval. The changes proposed in this document will
strengthen the curriculum, but they are net
earthshaking. Unless the Faculty Council makes drastic
changes, the new curriculum will provide students a
broader education with a coherent philosophy behind
it, when it is implemented in 1532. It will not, however,
rr.zrk a momentous choree in UNC's undergraduate
education.
Sturr.t r taction to the rtpcrt his t::n indifferent.
La:t wrck, two student forums
v. ere HI J cn the report, fmr.z
t ttudjr.ts their h:t chir.ces to
' z.lz cf.Tlom before the rercrt
returned to committee.
Approximately 30 students
: " t:t:r.d:d tzzh fcrum.
, At an mforir,-ticr,d hririrj
f , h:!J Oct. 14, cr.e wc:k afirr the
i . report wis put!I.h:Jt cr.!y three
studrr.ts r.ot tziczlzui wl:h the
& vr",w;' rrpcrt thresh cc milters uere
prt::r.t, l:t sfjd:nts zrt r.zi
concerned about currscium chin;cs, cr cnjthlr z t-"-
itzl v.iil net aff:ct th:.-n durinj their ::ay zt Cz:: " 2,
tnd this report will ret Cir?rt!y affect ar.yc::: r v
perfunctory complaints.- Saunders complained about
the proposed withdrawal cf credit for the first semester
of a foreign language- 2-nd Canady questioned the affect
the Western historical perspective requirement would
have cn the Afro-American studies program. Their
objections will be considered when the committee
makes final revisions i.i the report. ,
- The proposed changes in the curriculum, though net
drastic, will add breadth to the curriculum end will
provide students with a mere general education than
the present curriculum does.
Under the proposal, students would be required to
take crJy one more course Li the General Ccilrce than
th?y do now. IIcAevcr, the rev rercrt re;!::; the
required crht ccur::s frcm three citrj. cries v,i:h r,:r.;
ccur::s $?:zzi tcrc: five p:;:;::tive; two in the
r.-turil sciences, two in different soci J seier.ees, two in
the We::ern !.i.;:ri:rJ r:r:;:;tive, l. oh the c:::h:ti:
p:r:r:ct;ve, which ir.elude literature tr.i Lhe fir.e arts
cn in pcwpcJl per pectin c
Ti e t-:ic sliili eerticn cf the rrrert requires CI
students to crr;'.:t: cr.e ccuree in r.v;'.1 erreries ar.i to
tzls cr ri::e cut cf t.-o :er.::t:rs cf a fc;e:;n
l::r:e. I! a ever, h VH, credit f:r the f.::t
serr.er.er cf fcrci;n le-u::? uiil t: wi:hdra n, tr.J
for preserving the option, and Samuel Williamson,
dean of the College cf Arts and Sciences, cedis it a
"tradeoff..' This mathematicsforeign language
option stands out in sn otherwise sound curriculum.
The substitution of fcrc'jn kr;u":e fcr rr.i'.h ce.-.r.et
be justified for rce.:cr.s ether the,n derrtrr.er.tij
politics.
-To ensure continued study cf the curri:u!jr.s after
the changes are imptementeJ, the report prepeses t: ;
creatloa of an administrative subcmrr.it::e cn cer.eral
education with a non-votlr. studer.t merrier. It is
good that a studer.t will be cn the committee, tut It is
all too typical cf the gdmmlstratir.Vi attitude that he
.will not hive a vote. Thrcu;.hout the prece.s, the
administration has dor.e a seerr.J ra'e j:b c f i:::.:'.rz
thit students were i.nvcl.ei i.i t! : rrr:rt. 7h:c;' - :r.:I
committee appcir.teJ by V. .::.'-' ?n in April 1 57 J to
study rumculum rei.in h-.i three ttuirnt rr.:r.;rrj.
T!:e present Ccrr.rr.it: :e cf Ur i::;r:dj:'.e Cu::i:-i r
Refcrm hs to student rr.:.: erf.
ccr; -v.":
t!.: t
;.n ntrt 1
'J wi t!:;.l of
clV ; J to the rtrcerd
tr.rtl'rJ. Lvcn to, the rcp.trt i h:rdi cr.e th:t
intrire ccr.:rceriy ern if it uere to te ir;!;r.. : !
next f l.
The rer :t endorses rer.:r;l ed. :; ' nty ti ':".r; a
trc: :r !h:i.lu:Ifn cf crurs:s. It "J i C
t:- ie il'Ci re ;-.'.:'.: -.:s zrj f i , , s nz'T
l! :t
1.3 hr 1 to .rfcrt.i i;r "id.'::ts v.lto (don't hr.ov
iivd.r :v ta cr; ::.i:r ftc'.r.ts cr crrv iiti
ll: t C:tn,',u;ry rt f r a : ;: :i'.
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f:z,l e
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Hov.evrr, In the cru.iel i.: . :-r-
reccmrr.:r.;:.'-r$ ucre r. -; e l. r re. the cr:
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