Dear Editor,

Thanks to James McManus for his opinion piece on the common curriculum. It is important that we in the revision task force keep in mind students’ views on the reform efforts.

Your points are all valid and well taken except for one common misconception: you can now take math and science major courses to fulfill common curriculum requirements.

We in the sciences have asked for this for many years, and it was routinely approved on an ad-hoc basis. This change was officially approved two years ago by the common curriculum committee. For us it is not only a matter of being well-rounded, as you point out, but also a matter of opportunity and choice for our students.

For example, if a student does not take calculus I, she will not be able to be a math, physics, biology or chemistry major. How many students know exactly what they want to major in as freshmen? We do not want to close doors for our students; we want to keep them open.

Another example: if an English major enjoyed his math classes in high school and would like to continue learning different topics, why not allow him to enroll in statistics or in linear algebra?

The science faculty have clearly articulated that they would like the new core curriculum to include this flexibility and choice for our students.

Sincerely,
Maria Calzada
associate professor of mathematics
[email protected]