Bytaking away the Humanities 1 and 2 sequence's status as a freshman seminar, the Committee on Instruction made an important move toward maintaining the integrity of academics at Dartmouth.
In all its recruiting efforts -- from brochures to prospective tours -- the College advertises the unique qualities of freshman seminars. The merits of having a small group of students intensively study a specific topic are not questionable.
It is important for students in their first year to get a taste of what makes a Dartmouth liberal arts education special.
It is essential to have at least one course at the College to survey the classics of Western thought and literature, but the course does not fit the bill as a seminar, then it should not be called a seminar -- freshman or otherwise.
Humanities 1 and 2 alternates between lectures and small discussion groups and is group taught by professors from various departments such as English, classics and history. However meritorious such a class might be, it still does not belong among other freshman seminars, because it covers too broad a topic and has too many students.
Whether or not the sequence is popular with students it would be wrong to mislead students by forcing the course into a category in which it does not belong.
The COI decided to make Humanities 1 and 2 a freshman seminar to increase the sequence's sagging enrollment. The College later accomplished this goal simply by moving the time the sequence was offered from winter and spring to fall and winter. Currently the course is restricted to 60 students.
There are other ways to sell Humanities 1 and 2 besides giving it freshman seminar equivalency. The College could promote it through freshman advisors or by sending mailings to students prior to matriculation. The College could also simply open up the course to upperclass students.
Freshman seminars and as Humanities 1 and 2 are each of proven value, and all students should be able to take both.
By eliminating Humanities 1 and 2's status as a freshman seminar, the College has made the right move.
The next step is to open up the course sequence to upperclassmen, so that students will not be forced to make the choice between two distinctly valuable academic experiences.
