From: "Gerald Richman" To: Subject: Integrated Studies and the New Curriculum Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 12:54 PM John, Attached is a memo that I prepared in the Fall but never sent. But I would like you to distribute copies to the Curriculum Committee as you continue to discuss a major revamping of CAS requirements. Though I obviously am biased, it seems to me that IS provides an essential service to our students and to the College by giving students the only communal academic experience of their college careers. All new freshmen in CAS read, for the most part, the same fundamental texts and discuss the same fundamental questions. This provides a basic intellectual unity that underlies the later diversity of their academic careers as they specialize in their majors. This basic intellectual unity is fostered by a faculty that meets regularly to discuss the pedagogical and intellectual issues raised by the course. IS also coordinates readings and assignments with the Lowell Lecture series and with the University theatre productions. And despite the growing dependence of the College on adjunct teachers, this semester 16 of the 26 sections of Integrated Studies are taught by senior full-time faculty from Biology, CJN, EHS, English, History, Mathematics and Computer Science, NESADSU, Psychology, and Sociology. This is certainly a higher percentage of senior full-time faculty teaching freshmen than for any other multi-section freshman course. The benefits of a program like Integrated Studies should not be lightly discarded, and as I met with the Committee last Spring as it began its work of revision I'd like to meet with it again (as you deem appropriate) before the Committee makes its final recommendations about the place of Integrated Studies in the new curriculum. Thanks, Gerry