Director of the Humanities 1 and 2 program Walter Stephens said he will appeal the Committee on Instruction's recent decision to end Humanities 1 and 2's freshman seminar equivalency.
"For a committee to decide that Humanities 1 and 2 is an inadequate substitute for a first-year seminar is incomprehensible to me," Stephens said. "That means putting bureaucratic expediency before pedagogical merit."
But English Professor David Wykes, who is the director of the freshman seminar program and a member of COI, said the sequence originally received freshman seminar status for practical reasons only.
"The real reason that Humanities 1 and 2 was offered as a freshman seminar was never pedagogical or instructional," Wykes said. "We did it to keep Humanities 1 and 2 alive."
The sequence's status as a freshman seminar had only been provisional, said Earth Sciences Professor Gary Johnson,chairman of last year's COI.
"The decision was to drop the existing provisional status of freshman equivalency for Humanities 1 and 2," Johnson said. "It had never been finally approved since first proposed several years ago."
Since the 1990-1991 academic year, students have been able to receive freshman seminar credit for the sequence, Stephens said.
He said the courses had a three-year probationary status for freshman seminar equivalency and the status was later extended for one year.
Based on books of the classical tradition, Humanities 1 and 2 is a two-term discussion and lecture program for freshmen. Students must pass both courses to receive freshman seminar credit.
Approximately 60 students take the class which is divided into three discussion groups of 15 to 20 students each.
Humanities 1 discussion groups meet once a week, while Humanities 2 discussion groups meet twice a week. The rest of the class meetings are held in lecture format.
But starting with the Class of 2000, students will no longer be able to receive freshman seminar credit by taking the courses. Reasons for COI's decision
Even after the sequence attained provisional freshman seminar equivalency, enrollment in the course remained low, Wykes said.
In the fall of 1993, Stephens moved the course from a winter-spring sequence to a fall-winter sequence, and "enrollments lifted," Johnson said.
Wykes said the increase in enrollment indicated that low enrollments resulted from the time of offering, not to freshman seminar equivalency.
Johnson said the COI made the decision to terminate freshman seminar credit after four meetings over a two-year period. The COI started its initial review of Humanities 1 and 2 in the spring of 1993.
The COI made its decision based primarily on written documentation, Johnson said. Only 30 to 40 percent of its cases deal with people presenting evidence before the COI.
"Stephens had visited with the COI in two previous sessions," he said. "We were going on previous comments."
"Some of the things Stephens said were inappropriate," Johnson continued. "It offended many members of the faculty."
Wykes said Humanities 1 and 2 should not be a freshman seminar because it is only a large survey course with discussion sessions.
"Freshman seminars should not be survey courses taught in small sections," Wykes said. They should be a "universal requirement taught in the traditional form."
"In the seminar chosen a freshman may explore, both alone and with a small group, a topic of special interest to the individual student," according to The Organizations, Regulations and Courses book.
Freshmen should have one course with fewer than 200 students, Wykes said.
He said the COI argued that the ruling would not hurt Humanities 1 and 2 if the freshman seminar equivalency was taken away.
Johnson said having the sequence count toward freshman seminar equivalency placed "an undue burden on English 5 students." He said those students who enroll in English 5 cannot enroll in Humanities 1 and 2.
"Creating a scenario which prevents a certain group of students, [such as] English 5 participants, from potential enrollment in these courses should be avoided." Professor protests
Stephens, a professor of Italian, said the COI's decision was "hasty and ill-advised."
"We were not notified that the freshman seminar status of the course was on the COI agenda in 1995 spring," Stephens said. "No one connected with the course, including our administrative assistant, heard anything about the agenda either."
Stephens said he first learned of the COI's discussion and decision as a "fait accompli," in a joint memo to Stephens and then Dean of Faculty Karen Wetterhahn.
"At this point, it was too late for an appeal, as the academic year was almost over," Stephens said.
But Johnson said he did not fail to inform Stephens about the COI hearing.
"Walter Stephens knew it was coming before COI in spring 1995," Johnson said. But he said Stephens was not informed as to the exact date of the COI rulings.
Stephens said the COI's decision indicates the entire freshman seminar program should be evaluated.
"I would be happy to see Humanities 1 and 2's freshman seminar equivalency reevaluated within the context of a broader evaluation of the freshman seminar program," he said.
Stephens said he had "no idea why they are terminating[freshman seminar equivalency]."
He said he was told the course topics were too broad.
"It makes good bureaucratic sense. It's nice to have all of the freshman seminar courses look alike," Stephens said. "But I feel it shortchanges students by denying them an option."
James Tatum, classics professor and co-founder of the Humanities 1 and 2 program, said he received no response from the COI regarding his disapproval of the decision.
"Faculty are supposed to communicate," Tatum said.
Tatum said that he feels Humanities 1 and 2 should retain freshman seminar equivalency.
"In discussion and in the amount of reading and writing, Humanities 1 and 2 is more than equivalent to a freshman seminar," Tatum said. "Humanities 1 and 2 is the only innovation in undergraduate education for freshman since the freshman seminar."
German Professor Bruce Duncan, who previously taught the course, also disapproves the decision.
"By taking away freshman seminar equivalency, it makes it difficult for freshman to take Humanities 1 and 2," Duncan said.Student reaction
Some students who took Humanities 1 and 2 do not understand why the COI would discontinue its freshman seminar equivalency.
"I don't understand why the administration would cut such a popular class," said Farran Briggs '97. "I really enjoyed Humanities 1 and 2 since it was a class I never would have taken had it not been offered as a seminar."
William Drehkoff '97 said classes like Humanities 1 and 2 exemplify why he chose to attend the College.
"I came to Dartmouth to take classes like that," Drehkoff said . "I don't think it should be removed from a seminar option. Students will be much less inclined to challenge themselves."
But Emily McConnell '97 said she approves of the change.
"I found myself wishing that I had chosen to take an actual seminar, not because I didn't think the class was worthwhile or enjoyable, but because I wanted the experience of focusing on one narrow topic with just a few other people in the class," McConnell said. "I think Humanities 1 and 2 should be kept as an option for upperclassmen."
Stephens said upperclassmen are rarely admitted to the courses.
Dean of Faculty James Wright, a member of COI, could not be reached for comment.
