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Faculty
e-mail criticizes proposed CUE In an open e-mail to TCU faculty, 15 professors called for a reevaluation of the proposed Common Undergraduate Experience because they say it lacks emphasis in the areas of humanities. The CUE, a complete overhaul of the university’s core curriculum that has been underway for a more than a year, would eliminate requirements for religion and physical education, reduce the hours required for “writing workshop” courses from six to three, eliminate requirements for “writing emphasis” courses and place more emphasis on “Global Awareness,” among other changes. The humanities are classes engaged in critical thought. They include philosophy and literature courses. “I think it will hurt students, and I think it will hurt TCU’s reputation,” said Claudia Camp, a religion professor and principle author of the e-mail. “I think other schools in the humanities across the nation would feel this is an embarrassment.” Phil Hartman, a member of the UCR Drafting Committee and a biology professor, said the humanities is not ignored in the CUE. “I certainly understand the perspective that the humanities is a key component to the core experience,” Hartman said. “The attempt of the committee was not to marginalize the humanities. Because it is outcomes driven, there is substantial opportunity for faculty to propose (humanities) curriculum. “I am disappointed that would be the comment leveled.” The e-mail criticizes the CUE proposal as having a “strong social sciences bent” and fails to provide students with “exposure to the full intellectual scope of the ways of knowing represented by the humanities.” The letter was sent out by professor Gregg Franzwa Jan. 18 because Camp was out of town, she said. “While acknowledging the hard work of many persons in the development of the so-called CUE proposal, we find so many distressing features in the final product that we urge complete re-consideration of it,” the letter cites. “Most striking overall is the proposal’s failure either to attend to or to understand the fundamental contributions of the humanities to a liberal arts education.” Hartman said humanities courses could fall under the rubrics of Human Experience and Endeavors, Ethical Thought and Action and Global Awareness within the CUE. But in the letter, Camp writes that the “constraint and marginalization of the humanities is especially notable” in Human Experience and Endeavors. Camp and Franzwa said the CUE was developing too fast and hoped the letter would delay the process of approving it to allow more input. “We felt like we had not had a chance to express those views,” Camp said. While acknowledging faculty had little input when the UCR Drafting Committee began to work on the CUE, Hartman said professors had several opportunities for feedback in three different committees before then. Hartman said he did not question the motives of the authors. “I don’t see it as a self serving letter,” Hartman said. “I disagree with the essence of the letter, but I don’t question there intentions.” Hartman said he has written a response to Camp’s letter. He said he will discuss whether to e-mail the letter with other members of the UCR Drafting Committee today. Faculty will meet at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 in Moudy Building, room 141N to discuss the CUE. Skiff staff member Hemi Ahluwalia contributed to this report. Brandon
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